WORLD DEFENSE SHOW 2026 — SCOPA Defense Industries, a Saudi Arabian firm, has garnered a certain air of mystery at the last two editions of the World Defense Show outside Riyadh.
For visitors to the show, SCOPA billboards appeared at regular intervals on the highway to the event space, but at the show itself, SCOPA had a very low profile, without a dedicated booth of its own amid a sea of local and international competitors.
That’s because, chairman of SCOPA’s executive committee Walid Abu Khaled told Breaking Defense, SCOPA has been in semi-stealth mode: reorienting itself as it prepares to launch partnership and defense platforms in hopes of becoming one of the largest privately owned defense firms in the region.
“The reason there’s no participation this year is purely [because] when we want to have a place in World Defense Show, we want to showcase our own products that we manufactured in Saudi Arabia,” Abu Khaled, who previously served as CEO of the state-owned Saudi Arabian Military Industries, told Breaking Defense in an exclusive interview during the exhibition last week. “I believe in the near future — when we’re talking 2028 onward — you will see that we will take a huge space with our own products that’s been either assembled in the Kingdom, manufactured in the Kingdom, designed by us in the Kingdom. But we will showcase our own product.”
In the Q&A below, Abu Khaled discussed SCOPA’s recent rebranding, plans for the future and why the company made a “strategic” decision to pursue partnerships with NATO-aligned organizations.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. And look for more from this exclusive interview on an upcoming edition of the Middle East Defense Digest news show.
BREAKING DEFENSE: We saw all the billboards with SCOPA ads, but you didn’t have a presence here at the show, there’s no stand can you please explain this for us and why is this?
ABU KHALED: Absolutely. Look, let me start with saying SCOPA’s vision is to be the largest private sector company in the region. When it comes to defense and security, we are already in discussion with World defense Show. The reason there’s no participation this year is purely [because] when we want to have a place in world defense show, we want to showcase our own products that we manufactured in Saudi Arabia. We have so many strategic partnership and relationship with multinational companies. But in honest, what we didn’t want to do is take the space to showcase their products.
I believe in the near future — when we’re talking 2028 onward — you will see that we will take a huge space with our own products that’s been either assembled in the kingdom, manufactured in the kingdom, designed by us in the kingdom, but we will showcase our own product. So that’s the only reason we’re not here.
As 2030 is approaching and there is a mandate to localize 50 percent of defense production here in the kingdom [for] Vision 2030. What specific milestones has SCOPA achieved in transitioning from a trading entity to a manufacturer?
[In] SCOPA, we recently relaunched our brand so what you saw coming in is really the new brand of SCOPA. SCOPA has been successful in trading, and we are successful also in security work.
What we’ve done in the last year or two is set up a professional ERP [Enterprise Resource Planning] system that cater for defense and security industries.
We work with the best law firms in the world, from Washington, DC, that put the best export control policies for us, because we’re going to be dealing with multinational companies. And that means a lot to both of us, really, to make sure we adhere to all international policies and Saudi policies from GAMI [General Authority for Military Industries] or ministry of industries or others. We’ve reset and [gotten] some of the best talents. So it’s really, in a way, a relaunch for the company, and that’s why we said, inshallah come 2028, you will see SCOPA as presence in a large way in here.
So now you’re still in the development and design phase of the products that you might be having, not in the production phase?
Sort of correct. I think we already built key strategic partnership with multinational defense and security company. We are in the phase of designing our factories to start productions. I’m hoping by 2028, as I said, when there’s the next version of the very successful world defense show you will see our presence in here with our products.
Since you mentioned partners, are you having Western partners, are you having partners from East, from Asia? What partners are you are targeting, and you are discussing co-production, maybe localization, technology transfer? Tell us more.
Look, from my experience in the defense and security industry internationally, it’s a recipe for disaster and failure if you work with both. A company cannot work with East and West. You have to make strategic decisions. And the decision has been made within Scopa.
We’re working with NATO countries. We’re working with North America. We’re working with Singapore, with South Korea. So this is our strategic alliance, strategic partnership, comes from all those countries all the companies that we’re working with are from that regions.
Has there been a change or shift in SCOPA’s strategy? Because there were some reports earlier about boycotts or cancelled deals. Has there been a change in strategy?
I wouldn’t call it change at all, because SCOPA has never worked with any country from the East. Probably it’s about the credibility of reports. We are very focused on working with the countries I just mentioned.
Were there any cancelled deals due to allegations?
Absolutely not. Absolutely not.
With all the regional tensions and everything that’s happening in the region, what new defense trends have you seen emerging, and where do you see yourself as SCOPA?
Well, there’s various things. And also, you’re 100 percent right, the regional tensions, [and] specifically the war between Ukraine and Russia, have taught the whole world lots and lots of lessons.
Countries and big companies have noticed [that] investing in [a] $70, $80 million battlefield tank, when a small drone, kamikaze drone, that can cause it serious damage, is not the way forward. So I think what I’m saying is that scenarios of war changing how you fight your war, changing cyber security becoming absolutely key. It’s always been important, but I think it showed how more important it is. It’s all about autonomous systems. As we see, the trends globally, autonomous system will be, will be huge market, whether it’s land, sea and air and subsea.
We’re seeing swarm technology being absolutely key as well, and moving forward, electronic warfare. So all those are key focus areas.
It’s not different in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The same will apply. But what we really need also in Saudi Arabia is real capabilities when it comes to maintenance, repair and overhaul, upgrades of existing systems. I think there’s a huge market on what’s available in the Kingdom for someone to focus on maintenance, repair and overhaul of advanced equipment, whether it’s electronic or mechanical.
So will we be seeing SCOPA heading towards unmanned systems and MRO in the future?
As a [company in the] private sector we will focus on what we believe our customer really needs, on the key requirements based on the experience and what we’re seeing. Those are absolutely key requirements by our customers, everything I’ve just mentioned earlier. So we will, we will work with multinational companies and with existing companies to deliver to our customer requirements.
When do you expect to become the largest privately owned defense company in the region?
Realistically, specifically when it comes to defense, defense projects and procurements and building factories you’re talking at least five years minimum from now.
The advantage SCOPA [has] is quick decision making and having the capital available for the investments and growth. So those two are absolutely key to move very quickly. Our vision is, within five years, we will be one of the largest defense [companies and] maybe by 2035, we should be the largest defense, privately held company in the region.
What is the size of the company? What is the size of the facilities and workforce?
We’ve set up the foundations now. We are designing our factories. We have planned to build big factories when we finalize our agreement with our multinational partners, we’re working with everyone in Saudi, companies that exist in Saudi and outside, honestly, to deliver our requirements.
It’s hard to give you a specific number now, but I envisage it will be in the 1,000s of employees, [SCOPA] will use existing capability that exists now to build on what we have. I’m not going to invest in something that exists in the Kingdom already, so I will subcontract to those companies that have capability. But I’ll try to be the lead and to be responsible as a prime for some of those capabilities that we are targeting.
What’s your next five-year plan?
Building factories, building facilities, finalize the agreement we have with our multinational friends and with local companies. Look for possible acquisitions locally and globally.
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