Saudi Arabia, China sign agreement to build military drones in Kingdom
China’s CETC will set up a research and development centre in Saudi
Dubai: Saudi Arabia has signed an agreement with China to build military drones locally in the Kingdom as part of its efforts localise military industries and make it an important source of the economy.
The Saudi Advanced Communications and Electronics Systems Company (ACES) on Saturday signed the strategic agreement with China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), one of the world’s largest defense companies, to manufacture drone payload systems in the Kingdom.
The state-owned Chinese defense conglomerate is specialised in dual-use electronics. The pact was signed after ACES announced the establishment of a new company for unmanned aircraft in the Kingdom, namely Aerial Solutions.
The deal will facilitate the Chinese company to set up a research and development centre and manufacturing team for various types of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) payload systems, including communications units, flight control units, camera systems, radar systems and wireless detection systems.
The Kingdom will take advantage of the Chinese company’s vast experience spanning over 20 years in research and development, with its dozens of research institutes.