The visiting Commander of Royal Saudi land forces Lieutenant General Fahd Bin Abdullah Mohammed Al-Mutair was on Tuesday given a detailed presentation by the Army Design Bureau (ADB) on the capability and competencies of the defence industry and also the systems developed indigenously especially artillery, specialist vehicles, drones, counter drones, helicopters and missiles, defence officials said. They have been evaluated and inducted by the Army.
This is the first-ever visit by the Commander. Army Chief Gen. Manoj Naravane visited Saudi Arabia in December 2020, the first by an Indian Army Chief.
“The relationship between India and Saudi Arabia has grown owing to common interests in economic prosperity, eliminating the scourge of terrorism and mitigating the effects of climate change. Defence diplomacy forms one of the major tenets of the overall relationship,” the Army said in a statement. The aim of the visit is to bolster defence cooperation, it said.
A number of discussions and briefings were held including a scoping delegation to see where all engagements can be enlarged and deepened, a defence official said. “Areas of collaboration feasible with the Indian industry to meet the requirements of Saudi land forces were also discussed.”
The briefing also detailed the policy initiatives and enabling provisions put out by the government to boost defence manufacturing and also how the start up ecosystem was being facilitated in conjunction with the industry, the official said.
The Commander was also informed that the government is looking at major investments by private sector in defence and and 25% of the allocation for Research and Development in this year’s Budget was set aside for the industry. The presentation also detailed various niche techniques being developed by armed forces in conjunction with start ups and incubating with academia.
The Commander also visited the National Defence College where a Saudi officer is attending the course.
Defence cooperation between India and Saudi Arabia has seen a huge uptick in the last few years and the two sides are working out modalities for bilateral military exercises between the armies and the navies which officials said have been delayed due to the pandemic.
