Saudi Arabia announces the launch of a project with France to produce aircraft structures

The Saudi Military Industries Company announced the launch of a joint venture with the French company Vijac Aero and Saudi Dussur to build a facility for the production of airframes in the Kingdom, coinciding with the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday the launch of a project with France to establish a manufacturing and production facility for airframes in the Kingdom.

This came in a statement by the Saudi Military Industries (official), coinciding with the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Riyadh as part of a Gulf tour that included the UAE and Qatar.

The company said in a statement that it had "signed a joint venture agreement with the French group FIGEAC AÉRO and the Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments Company Dussur to establish Sami Figeac Aero Manufacturing with the aim of building a high-precision manufacturing facility in the Kingdom for the production of aerostructures components."

She pointed out that "the joint project was announced during the Saudi-French Investment Forum, which was held on the sidelines of the French President's visit to the Kingdom."

According to the company, the joint venture seeks to develop the Kingdom's capabilities in the manufacture of aircraft structures, in addition to training Saudi engineers and technicians to work as part of this project and to promote the localization of the military and civil aviation industries.

The 10-year project will include a series of major investments, most of which will be financed by local financial institutions, including the launch of a new production unit at the AACC site in Jeddah.

The company added that "revenues of the joint venture are expected to reach $200 million by 2030, and that the company's capital is divided by 51 percent for the Saudi side and 49 percent for the French side."

According to the statement, "four advanced five-axis machines are currently being commissioned to manufacture the first products by the end of this year."

The first phase aims to expand the facility, which is scheduled to be completed by 2024 with a total investment of $50 million, including equipment, infrastructure, training programs, and certifications.

According to the statement: "This phase aims to achieve revenues of 10 million US dollars, and Sami Vijak Aero Manufacturing Company will be equipped with 14 units of advanced equipment, as well as employing more than 60 people."

French President Emmanuel Macron met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Saturday on the last leg of his two-day Gulf tour.

Macron is one of the first Western leaders to meet Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia, since the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 in his country's consulate in Istanbul.