Saudi, British defense Ministers sign agreement on Riyadh’s participation in FCAS

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman held talks in Riyadh with UK Secretary of State for Defense Ben Wallace.

In a series of tweets, Prince Khalid said they reviewed “the strategic relations between our two countries. We discussed our military and defense cooperation and ways to strengthen it.”

“We also exchanged thoughts on regional and international developments and our efforts towards them,” he added.

The officials signed a declaration of Saudi Arabia’s intent to participate in the Future Combat Air System program (FCAS), which will strengthen the Kingdom’s defensive capabilities through a comprehensive partnership that includes joint production and research and development projects for future air systems.

FCAS, first announced in 2017 by French President Emmanuel Macron and then German Chancellor Angela Merkel, is designed to replace the Eurofighter and the Dassault Rafale with a combination of manned and unmanned aircraft from 2040.