Addressing an audience of senior military officials and strategic industry partners, David Hanley, Chief Executive of Raytheon Saudi Arabia, said the new building underscored Raytheon Technologies’ multi-decade commitment to Saudi Arabia and its readiness to meet the Kingdom’s evolving defense and security needs.
“The opening of our new headquarters is a natural step following the creation of Raytheon Saudi Arabia five years ago and symbolizes our ongoing collaboration with the Kingdom to develop greater self-sufficiency within its military and security ecosystem, and to sustain jobs and create value in the Saudi economy,” said Hanley.
“We are committed to empowering the Kingdom to respond to existing and evolving threats long into the future, through continued investment in technology transfer, skills development and the engagement of the local supply chain.”
The new head office reaffirms the company’s commitment to advance job creation and knowledge transfer in support of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy for social and economic reform. The headquarters also builds on Raytheon Technologies’ 50 years of partnership with the Kingdom, safeguarding its citizens and residents.
Walid Abukhaled, CEO of Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) spoke during the event, congratulating Raytheon Saudi Arabia on the opening and expressing a desire for further cooperation between the two companies.
“We join Raytheon Saudi Arabia in celebrating the inauguration of their new head office, which will undoubtedly serve as a catalyst to accelerating the company’s defense localization efforts, and continue contributing to the Kingdom’s security needs,” said Abukhaled. “I look forward to further strengthening our enduring partnership and collaboratively work together to provide world-class military solutions, build Saudi capabilities and bolster the defense ecosystem.”
Raytheon Saudi Arabia leadership were joined at the inauguration by industry partners like AEC, OCC Weavers and SALTS - who have partnered with Raytheon in the Kingdom for many decades. Shamal, Wahaj, and the company’s most recent local partner Zahid - who will produce mobile power solutions in a dedicated factory in Jeddah – also attended the ceremony.
Raytheon Saudi Arabia was incorporated in 2017, and in 2019 the company signed the first industrial partnership agreement with the national regulator of the Kingdom’s military industries, the General Authority for Military Industries, or GAMI. The company subsequently signed its first contract in 2020 with the Saudi Ministry of Defense and has since outsourced manufacturing of critical military hardware to a number of indigenous companies across the Kingdom.
