Saudi defence giant Intra ‘immensely proud’ of industry strides
ONE OF THE MOST EYE-CATCHING areas of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 is the Kingdom’s plan for the future of its defence industry.
In short, the masterplan lays out an almost complete overhaul of its defence sector, with business most interested in a desire to localise a full 50 per cent of the country’s defence spending.
Right now, Saudi remains a major importer of Western weaponry – but that may not be the case for long, with a host of private and state-backed businesses stepping in to provide cutting edge technology to the Saudi military but also looking to serve as a regional defence powerhouse, exporting as much as it imports.
The prize is significant – the Kingdom spent $69bn on defence in 2023. And one company that is at the forefront of work to turn Saudi into a defence hotspot is Intra Defence Technologies.
“Intra’s journey began with a vision to contribute significantly to Saudi Arabia’s defence industry,” the ten-year-old firm’s chairman Salman Nasser Al-Shathri, told Inside Saudi.
The firm designs and manufactures cutting-edge technology, works on a host of engineering projects and also provides ‘ISR as a service’ – intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. Just this week it opened a new drone factory in Riyadh.
“We are immensely proud of the strides the Saudi defence industry has taken in recent years,” al-Shathri continued, with this week’s World Defence Forum a “testament to the remarkable progress and innovation within our sector.”
In recent months the firm has developed what it calls “cutting edge” unmanned aerial vehicle tech – drones – and has signed a host of strategic partnerships across the globe. Now firmly positioned as a global player, the firm’s CEO Dr Hamed Al Fuzan told Inside Saudi it’s now time to turn attention to the future.
“Intra is fully aligned with the objectives of Vision 2030, particularly in the localisation of defence technology. By leveraging our expertise and resources, we aim to not only meet but exceed the localisation targets set forth – enhancing the self-sufficiency and resilience of Saudi Arabia’s defence sector.”
Crucially – for the company, the sector and indeed the Kingdom at large – Intra is committed to developing a generation of talented, homegrown people to staff the sector’s expansion.
“We recognise the importance of nurturing a skilled workforce to drive innovation and sustain our industry’s growth,” Al Fuzan said.
“We are actively cultivating local talent. By empowering Saudi youth with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in the field of defense technology, we are ensuring that our workforce remains at the forefront of innovation, driving the future success of Inta and the Saudi defence industry as a whole.”
Of course it’s not just the defence industry benefiting from Intra’s technological advances in so-called ‘UAVs.’ The oil and gas industry is using Intra tech to enhance inspections and provide real-time data collection; with Saudi’s Vision 2030 an unapologetically ‘green’ plan, UAVs also provide monitoring of ecosystems and conservation projects. Smart cities, too, benefit from UAV sensors and efficiency. But it’s in defence that they are most apparent and where Intra is making the biggest strides.
Like everything in the Kingdom, Intra’s growth plans are certainly ambitious. But as ever in Saudi Arabia, you can bet that ambition will be matched.