WDS 2024 – ST Engineering Land Systems looks at increasing cooperation with Saudi Arabia
With its presence at the World Defense Show the Singaporean defence champion ST Engineering aims at creating further ties with Saudi Arabian defence industry
With the United Arab Emirates as its key country of interest in the Middle East, ST Engineering aims at increasing its presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
“We were present at the first edition of the World Defense Show two years ago, and we are here now,” Lim Kok Ann President, Land Systems at ST Engineering tells EDR On-Line in the company booth at WDS 2024. “We have also been at IDEX last year, as the United Arab Emirates have of course been our key country in the Middle East Area. As for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we are working with SAMI in the field of ammunition, and specifically in the Ammunition Industrial Complex, AIC in short,” he adds.
Mr. Kok Ann explains that ST Engineering Land Systems is busy in transferring the manufacturing know how in the KSA, awaiting the new SAMI ammunition production plant to be ready. “The cooperation agreement covers Technical Data Transfer, what is usually referred to as TDP,” he tells us.
The first type of product that will be manufactured in the KSA is the 40 mm grenade in its various forms, low and high velocity, “however in the future production might be extended to 60, 81 and 120 mm mortar rounds,” the Land Systems President states.
Currently ST Engineering is in the process of being involved in some tenders, therefore confidentiality does not allow our interlocutor to tell us more, but things might well change in the near future. Beside ammunition of different types and calibre, at WDS ST Engineering Land Systems showcased its 40 mm automatic grenade launcher, its ExtremV, a variant of the company Bronco all terrain vehicle, as well as the ADDER Lite Remote Controlled Weapon Station. Showcasing such systems might well have something to do with its penetration in this country.
“Middle East is a key area of interest for us, so apart some successes in the ammunition area we are also working on weapon solutions as well as in the maintenance, repair and overhaul field, and eventually in that of upgrades,” adds Lim Kok Ann, KSA being of course one of the main nations of interest. ST Engineering has talked to SAMI and is offering some consultancy. It is also working with Rakaa Security & Military Equipment, with whom it signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at jointly providing MRO services for vehicles to end-users in the KSA. EDR On-Line understood that things might step up a notch, with the creation of a Joint Venture to bring in country certain capabilities.
Photos by P. Valpolini
