RIYADH: The World Defense Show, Saudi Arabia’s annual conference put on by the General Authority for Military Industries, convened on Sunday, bringing together official delegations, government entities, and leading international companies specializing in the defense and security sectors.
Arab News spoke to Boeing — the world’s largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer for jetliners — about its presence in the region and Saudi Arabia’s evolving role in shaping the future of the global aerospace and defense industry.
“Boeing’s legacy in Saudi Arabia, first of all, spans almost 80 years and we have over 400 defense articles that are currently in Saudi Arabia and that makes (it) one of the biggest partners that we have in the defense business outside of the United States,” Vincent Logsdon, vice president of international business development, defense, space, and security at Boeing, told Arab News.
“What we’re really interested in is evolving that relationship and we’re doing that by things like joint ventures, investing in human capital, and we really want to be a part of the finishing help on getting to Vision 2030, where Saudi Arabia is going,” he said.
The company sees the Kingdom as a cornerstone of what they are doing with aerospace and a country that can take their technologies to the next step, prompting investment in various areas.
