RIYADH — Air defense
systems have been front and center at Saudi Arabia's first defense show as
drone and missile attacks increase in the energy-
rich Gulf.
اضافة اعلان
Deadly strikes on
Saudi Arabia and the UAE
claimed by Yemeni rebels have been the talk of shows held in the two countries
in recent weeks.
Six hundred companies from about 40
countries showed off the latest military technology at the
World Defense Show
in the Saudi capital Riyadh this week.
"There is very much high interest in
the region for the capabilities to defeat drones and IEDs," said Bobby
Strawbridge of US firm Allen-Vanguard, which makes equipment to block
radio-controlled weaponry.
Saudi Arabia has since 2015 led an
international coalition supporting
Yemen's government against
Huthi Shiite
rebels. It has regularly come under attack along its southern border with
Yemen.
Visitors to the Riyadh show are zooming in
on anti-drone and air defense systems, according to Tomas Kossowski, chief
operating officer for Advanced Protection Systems.
The Polish firm sold its infrastructure-defense
products to Saudi Arabia's national telecoms operator in 2019 and has since
been in negotiations with other potential customers. Kossowski said interest
from the Gulf in "defending critical infrastructure" was growing
every month.
"There is a big threat here from the
constant attacks from drones in the region," he told AFP. "The Yemen
border is under constant threat and with our solutions we are able to prevent
drone attacks."
'More frequent and dangerous'
The Saudi-led coalition says Huthi rebels
have fired more than 400 missiles and 850 armed drones into Saudi Arabia over
the past seven years, killing 59 civilians.
According to the
Yemen Data Project, the
coalition staged 401 air raids into Yemen in January alone, and about 9,000
civilians have been killed in raids since 2015.
The UAE, which is part of the coalition, was
the target of an attack in January that killed three people.
"Huthi attacks have become more
frequent and dangerous, that is why more advanced solutions are needed to confront
them," said a Western military attaché, speaking on condition of
anonymity.
Drones have become the big new threat facing
the region because they are cheap, easy to build, and difficult to intercept,
making them attractive to radical groups, the diplomat added.
Israel said last month that it had fired at
a drone launched by Lebanese militant group
Hezbollah, while in November Iraqi
Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi escaped an assassination attempt by a
bomb-laden drone.
Arms companies are gearing up in response.
One company at the
Riyadh show was selling a portable system that can block the
radio signal used to control drones. That offers the possibility of setting up
a drone-free zone over a military base or a moving convoy.
Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest arms
importer between 2016 and 2020, according to the
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, on Monday announced an accord with US giant Lockheed Martin
to build an air defense system in the kingdom.
The General Authority for Military Industries,
which oversees the Saudi defense industry, has made 22 deals with national and
international enterprises worth some two billion dollars.
The deals range from the purchase of
military systems to the construction of production lines and the transfer of
knowledge and training.
The government wants 50 percent of its arms
needs to be provided by Saudi manufacturers by 2030.
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