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Unmanned in the air and at sea at World Defense Show 2026

Middle East Bureau Chief Agnes Helou gets up close and personal with some American unmanned platforms in Saudi Arabia.

Days before the first shots were fired in the Iran conflict, defense firms around the world gathered in Riyadh to show off their latest wares. That included two American firms that brought along models of their unmanned solutions: Saildrone’s maritime drone and General Atomics’ aerial platform.

Breaking Defense Middle East Bureau Chief Agnes Helou spoke to senior company officials and got an up-close-and-personal look at the systems on this episode of the Middle East Defense Digest.