Saudi Arabia: Land-lease to Manufacture Unmanned Aircraft Systems - Asharq Al-awsat English

In an unprecedented step, Saudi Arabia unveiled Wednesday a land-lease for a project to develop and manufacture unmanned aircraft systems.

Director General at Saudi Industrial Property Authority (MODON) Khalid bin Mohammed al-Salem said: “We are proud that our industrial cities are the first to embrace the drone industry. We have signed in Riyadh a land-lease contract with INTRA Defense Systems to set up a project to develop and manufacture unmanned aircraft systems.”

Military industries have support activities and services, in addition to the development of communication and information technology, all of which help in developing local talents that contribute to the development of the national economy, he added.

Several parties in the Kingdom are uniting efforts to achieve industrial development including, inter alia, MODON, that aims to reinforce public-private partnership to direct military investments to its industrial cities.

Salem said that strategic cooperation was launched in 2019 between MODON and the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) to promote the localization of military industries and support the Kingdom’s goal of making the military industries sector an important asset for economic development.

“Through this cooperation, licensed investors in the targeted fields will be directed to MODON industrial cities, which, in turn, will provide packages to encourage investors in this sector,” he said.

“The two sides will work to establish industrial clusters for the targeted military sectors within the industrial cities. They will also provide options for investors to support the establishment and empowerment of projects and ensure their expansion, sustainability, and development.”

Salem said that MODON attracted Science Technology Company to establish a complex for the military industries in Al-Kharj Industrial City.

Developed infrastructure and updated services are essential to building strong industries, he affirmed, noting that the industrial cities are witnessing a huge leap in services, infrastructure and logistics.

Since its establishment in 2001, MODON has been working on developing industrial lands of integrated services. It currently oversees 35 industrial cities that are fully established or under construction in various regions of the Kingdom.

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