World Defence Show 2024

In February, the World Defense Show (WDS) was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A purpose-built event location of approximately 800,000 m² was constructed north of Riyadh especially for the first edition of the WDS in 2022, a trade show not only aiming to be the largest in the region but also one of the largest worldwide. It is organized by the Saudi General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) under the patronage of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The second edition, held from February 4 to 8, was very successful, with EUR 6.3 billion worth of orders. It didn’t require the actual presence of aircraft to conclude deals. For example, Saab had a scale model of the GlobalEye airborne early warning and control aircraft on show and announced a deal worth EUR 175 million for in-service support of the United Arab Emirates fleet. This fleet currently consists of three aircraft, with two more expected to be delivered later this year.

Some 106,000 visitors could see 773 exhibitors from 76 countries, ranging from small local companies to international heavyweights like British Aerospace and Boeing. The items on show ranged from aircraft and vehicles to guns and ammunition, from inflatable decoys to control room furniture, and from boots and uniforms to submarines. Andrew Pearcey, Chief Executive Officer of the WDS, commented, "The 2024 edition of the World Defense Show has provided international exhibitors with access to Saudi Arabia’s ever-growing defence and security market. I look forward to welcoming the global defence community back to Riyadh in 2026."

During the five show days, multiple live air and ground displays were held. In addition, there was a large static display of aircraft and vehicles, part of which is seen here. It is dominated by the Airbus A330 tanker and transport aircraft and A400 Grizzly.

Unveiled on the second day of the show was this British Aerospace Hawk mk.165 in the new Saudi Hawks colour scheme. This demonstration team is currently flying its last season with the Hawk mk.65A, after which the type will be phased out and replaced by the mk.165. It is expected that the team will need a year to complete the conversion to the mk.165 and will perform their first display again in 2026. The new look is still very recognizable, in the green and white colours of the Saudi flag, but includes some nice changes, including the large Hawk silhouette on the side underneath the cockpit. The plan is to repaint 10 Hawks in total.

Flying a very impressive display almost daily was the Eurofighter Typhoon of the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF). This example is operated by 80 Squadron, based at Taif/King Fahd Air Base. Saudi Arabia ordered 72 Typhoons, delivered between 2009 and 2017. A follow-up order of up to 96 aircraft, however, never materialized because of an arms embargo imposed in 2018 by the German government, one of the four countries that form the Eurofighter consortium (together with the UK, Italy, and Spain). According to well-informed British sources, another factor that halted the follow-on order was the desire of the RSAF to wait for a Typhoon equipped with the cutting-edge ECRS mk.2 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. After some delays, this new radar was finally implemented in a trials aircraft by BAe at Warton, UK, last November, giving the aircraft more or less a 5th generation sensor. Together with the lifting of the arms embargo in January, this could well open up the road for that long-awaited follow-up order.

The Royal Saudi Land Forces (RSLF) displayed three of their helicopter types at the WDS, including the AH-64E Apache Guardian. This example is one of the first batch of the newly built Echo versions, of which the Saudi Land Forces have ordered 34. These are operated alongside some dozen former AH-64As that have been upgraded to the AH-64D Longbow version. The other RSLF helicopters on show were a UH-60M Black Hawk and a brand new CH-47F Chinook. Of the latter type, 36 have been ordered; so far, the first six have been delivered to the 3rd Aviation Group based at Tabuk. Also operated by the RSLF, but not present at the show, are the Schweizer 333 training helicopter and the Bell 406 Combat Scout. Although unconfirmed reports suggest the latter may have been retired following the delivery of the AH-64Es.

The Saudi National Day is celebrated on September 23, and for the past five years, the RSAF has contributed to the festivities with flypasts over the main cities. Each year, some fighter aircraft are painted in a special livery for this occasion. Four of the aircraft that participated in the flypasts a few months back were present in the static display, showcasing a beautiful all-over green colour scheme with golden eagles on the nose, wings, and fuel tanks. They were a Eurofighter Typhoon, a Panavia Tornado IDS, a Boeing F-15C Eagle, and this F-15S Strike Eagle leading the lineup.

In 2017, multiple Saudi security agencies that operated helicopters were integrated into the Presidency of State Security (PSS). They received a fleet of new helicopters, consisting of the Sikorsky S-92 and S-70i Black Hawk and Airbus H145, plus the Casa C295M transport aircraft. One of the H145T2s was on display inside one of the many halls, while another was on standby during the show in case of emergency. The PSS focuses on internal security, including counterterrorism, anti-piracy, and intelligence gathering, but also on humanitarian relief missions in case of natural disasters.

Although officially called Al Suqoor, or Falcons, the Royal Saudi Air Force national display team is better known as the Saudi Hawks. The team, unsurprisingly, flies the British Aerospace Hawk mk.65A. Based at Tabuk/King Faisal Air Base, they are part of 88 Squadron. The team was founded in 1998, specifically for the upcoming celebrations of Saudi Arabia's 100th anniversary in January 1999, during which they performed their first display over the nation’s capital, Riyadh.

The display typically involves six Hawks, painted in the green and white colours of the Saudi flag. Smoke generators are used during the display, with multiple different colours. The display is a mixture of graceful formation aerobatics, breathtaking crossovers, and some solo and synchro pair manoeuvres. Although they are not seen abroad too often, over the years, the team has displayed in, among others, Bahrain (first display outside Saudi Arabia in 2000), Austria, Italy, and Kuwait.

As mentioned, the Saudi Hawks will convert to the new Hawk mk.165 at the end of the 2024 season as part of the 25th anniversary of the display team. But before then, they will perform their last international displays with the 'old' Hawk at Air Power 2024 in Zeltweg, Austria, and the famous Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford, UK.

Also very rarely appearing in public are the helicopters of the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG). Parked between its larger counterparts, the AH-64E Apache Guardian and the UH-60M Black Hawk, which are also operated by the SANG, this Boeing AH-6i Little Bird stole the show. With an order of 36, the SANG was the light attack helicopter’s launch customer in 2010. Dubbed the 'Little Apache', the helicopter can be armed with laser-guided Hellfire missiles, 70 mm guided or unguided rockets, 7.62mm Miniguns, and/or GAU-19B Gatling machine guns. Like the Apache, it has a digital cockpit, and under the nose, there is an L3 Wescam MX-15Di electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) turret, which can direct Hellfires onto targets up to some 13 miles or 20 km away. Video can be downlinked from the MX-15 turret, and the AH-6i can also receive video from other assets including UAVs, other helicopters, or ground-based command stations.

The crew posing in front of their Saudi Arabian National Guard UH-60M represents the newest version of the famous Sikorsky Black Hawk. This version features a full glass cockpit and more powerful engines than its predecessors. This example and its crew are part of the 1st Aviation Brigade, based at Riyadh-Khasm Alan airbase. The SANG is believed to operate 49 UH-60Ms in total, spread over four bases, although deliveries are still ongoing.

Not what you expect in the middle of the desert: a naval forces MH-60R Sea Hawk! But that’s exactly what this is, one of 10 examples acquired by the Royal Saudi Naval Forces in 2018 and mainly used for anti-submarine warfare. If not deployed on one of the four multi-mission surface combatant (MMSC) ships of the Eastern Fleet, the MH-60s are based at Jubail/King Abdulaziz Naval Base. The Western Fleet is equipped with AS.332 Super Puma, AS.365 Dauphin, and AS.565 Panther helicopters.

A Saudi marching band was present at the World Defense Show and performed every day, adding to the atmosphere.

These Airbus H.215M (formerly designated as AS.532U2) Cougar helicopters of 66 Squadron are used in the Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) role. But apart from that, they can also be used for regular transport, as happened during the WDS. The one in the front arrived with a V.I.P. on board, while the second one appeared to have acted as a decoy aircraft to confuse potential terrorists. A third example was part of the static display and could be admired up close. In total, 7 examples have been delivered to the RSAF.

Purchased in 1983, the RSAF has five Boeing E-3A Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft in its fleet. Despite being some 40 years old, these aircraft have been upgraded multiple times and remain top-tier. The RSAF AWACS Modernization Program Phase 2 is currently underway, aimed at keeping the aircraft operational until around 2040. The upgrades, carried out by the original manufacturer Boeing in both Oklahoma, United States of America, and Al-Harj, Saudi Arabia, are expected to be completed by 2026. After the program concludes, the fleet should be fully interoperable again with that of the US Air Force. Besides upgrading the existing E-3A fleet, Boeing is already hoping to sell its E-7 Wedgetail aircraft to Saudi Arabia to replace the aging E-3A AWACS fleet in the future.

The RSAF ordered 44 British Aerospace Hawk mk.165 aircraft to replace its older Hawk mk.65 training aircraft fleet. The second batch of 22, ordered in 2015, was to be completed in Saudi Arabia. For this, the Hawk In Kingdom Final Assembly (Hawk IFKA) line was established in Dahran, in the facility where Tornado upgrades were previously performed. The 22 aircraft were delivered as a kit to be assembled, test-flown, and painted before delivery to the RSAF. The final aircraft of this batch was handed over to the RSAF during the WDS under the watchful eyes of HRH Prince Khalid bin Salman bi Abdulaziz, the Saudi Minister of Defence. Although all locally assembled examples were originally delivered to 21 and 79 squadrons in this grey camouflage, 10 of them will be repainted and handed over to 88 Squadron to be flown by the Saudi Hawks.

Due to the previously mentioned embargo on the Eurofighter Typhoon, at the end of 2023, the Saudi government allegedly inquired about the Rafale with Dassault Aviation. According to French Minister of Defence, Sebastien Lecornu, talks have been held about a potential sale of up to 54 Rafales. With this in mind, it was no surprise that the Rafale made an appearance during the WDS, although only for the first day. One example was part of the static display but left on the second day of the WDS, while another performed two fly-bys during the opening day only. Both were part of Escadre de Chasse EC01.007 ‘Provence’, currently based at Al Dhafra in Abu Dhabi, and did not carry any unit markings.

The daily aerial displays attracted a lot of attention from the crowds. In total, some 106,000 visitors were counted over the five show days, many of whom brought binoculars, cell phones, and cameras to the event.

The Chinese demonstration team Ba Yi (August 1st) made their debut at the WDS. Although the team has flown more than 500 displays over the years, this was only their tenth performance abroad, making their appearance more than welcome. They were accompanied by three Xiang Y-20 transport and tanker aircraft, which unfortunately did not stay around during the show. The team performs a spirited display and uses smoke in multiple colors, with red and yellow allegedly representing China, blue for the sky, and green for peace.

The Ba Yi team, founded in 1962, is named after the date the People's Liberation Army (PLA) was founded: August 1, 1927. The team originally flew the JJ-5, a Chinese copy of the Russian MiG-17, and later the J-7, a copy of the Russian MiG-21. In 2009, these were replaced by the indigenously designed J-10A, which was followed by the more modern J-10C version as recently as 2023. This multirole combat aircraft looks a lot like the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Lavi. Although rumors suggest China and Israel worked together on this, both parties have always denied such cooperation.

The presence of dozens of different UAVs and drones at the World Defense Show underscores the changing landscape of defense. They ranged from small drones for reconnaissance to larger armed combat UAVs and even a life-size one designed for transport to and from the battlefield, including the extraction of wounded personnel. One of the combat UAVs is the Chinese-built Wing Loong WL-10B (the B denotes an export version), for which the Saudi defense forces placed an order of an unknown quantity during the WDS. This will become the successor to the Wing Loong I and II, which have been in service with the Royal Saudi Air Force since 2017. Also recently ordered by the RSAF is the Bayraktar Akinci drone, built by the Turkish company Baykar, which gained fame due to the Bayraktar drones used in the war between Russia and Ukraine. The first of these is expected to be delivered in 2026. Comparing both UAVs, the WL-10B has a higher ceiling and speed, while the Akinci is larger and can carry a more compatible payload.

Although no 5th generation aircraft of the United States Air Force (USAF) were present “because of operational commitments,” multiple others did show, both on the ground and in the air. All are currently deployed in the area, like the Bombardier E-11A. Rarely seen on public display, this aircraft is part of the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) together with the unmanned RQ-4 Global Hawk. Its main role is enabling real-time communication over the battlefield between all participating units on the ground and in the air.

The odd one out in the American delegation was the venerable Fairchild A-10C Thunderbolt II, the tank killer designed in the seventies and earmarked for retirement but is still going strong. At WDS, one was in the static display while another one flew during the aerial display on the second day. Both belong to the 355th Wing at Davis-Monthan AFB but are currently deployed to Al Dhafra AB in the UAE as part of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing. Major Lindsay ‘Mad’ Johnson of the A-10C Thunderbolt Demonstration Team gave a spirited display, showcasing all sides of the A-10C.

The USAF had an impressive presence at WDS 2024. According to ‘air boss’ Col. Andy Ladd of the USAF, a venue like WDS strengthens relationships. “Building trust is the backbone of being able to work together as a coalition from multiple countries.” Adding to the atmosphere, and also working on relationships, was a rock band consisting of crew members of the C-130J Super Hercules from Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, which was on static display. Both enthusiastic singers managed to inspire the watching crowds, even daring spectators to play the keyboard once in a while.

The NHIndustries NH-90 helicopter has been plagued by problems in some countries, with Australia having scrapped their entire fleet and Norway having terminated its NH-90 program, demanding a full refund, while Sweden plans to do the same. However, other operators of the NH-90 helicopter are putting their helicopters to good use. One such operator is the Qatar Emiri Air Force, which has both the TTH (troop transport helicopter) and the NFH (NATO frigate helicopter) in its fleet. One of the latter was on show at the WDS, marking the first outing abroad of the type since the delivery of the first examples in 2022. The aircraft serves with the 8th (anti-surface vessel) squadron, based in Doha.

Although rumors suggest Airbus is hoping to sell the A400M transport aircraft to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, at the World Defense Show, Airbus officials declined to discuss any ongoing negotiations. A spokesperson stated, “We are in constant discussion with actual and future customers in the region, and we have several campaigns in the region for the A400M, A330, and C-295.” Regardless, a Royal Air Force Atlas (as the A400M is known in the RAF) was present as part of the static display, simultaneously bringing an Agusta-Westland (Leonardo) Wildcat helicopter to the show. Furthermore, a French and a Turkish example visited during the show as support aircraft for the previously mentioned Rafale and the Turkish Stars demonstration team, respectively.

No fewer than three Pakistani Chengdu JF-17C ‘Thunder’ jets were present in Saudi Arabia. The brand-new block III version, featuring the major upgrade of the Nanjing KLJ-7A Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, was on static display. Two older block II aircraft alternated in the flying display. These two, one of which is portrayed here, are flown by the 18th Squadron ‘Sharp Shooters’, the Operational Conversion Unit based at Bholari Air Force Base in Southern Pakistan. The fourth Pakistani aircraft present at the WDS was an MFI-395 Super Mushshak in the static display, a type already operated by the RSAF in the elementary flying training role.

The Royal Saudi Air Force is currently the largest operator of the famous Lockheed C-130H Hercules, second only to the USA. For its upcoming replacement, however, the RSAF is seriously considering the Embraer (K)C-390 Millennium instead of the C-130J Super Hercules. Embraer is doing surprisingly well, with firm orders from Brazil, Portugal, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and recently South Korea. Talks are underway not only about the acquisition of 33 aircraft but also about setting up a repair and overhaul center and a final assembly line in Saudi Arabia. It was no wonder the KC-390 made a presence at WDS, while the journey from Brazil was used well by Embraer as the aircraft was also shown to Nigeria on the way.

During the last show day, the Saudi Hawks and the Turkish Stars demonstration teams conducted a photoshoot over the desert together. When finished, a few flypasts in different formations were made in front of the crowds, which provided the opportunity for this unique photograph. The Turkish Stars fly the venerable Northrop NF-5 Freedom Fighter, which started life with the Royal Netherlands Air Force but was sold to the Turkish Air Force around 1990. Thirty years later, they are still flying, although their end is near, with only the Turkish Stars still operating them.