Saudi Gazette report

Al-Khobar — The Council of Ministers on Tuesday noted that the launching of the Air War Center and the first Hawk jet training aircraft shows the Kingdom’s keenness on empowering the Saudis in the field of the local military industries and supporting the national economy within the objectives of the Kingdom’s ambitious Vision 2030.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman chaired the weekly session of the Cabinet at Aziziah Palace in Al-Khobar.

Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, on Sunday laid the foundation stone for the establishment of the Air War Center during his visit to King Abdulaziz Air Base in the Eastern Sector.

He also launched the first Hawk jet training aircraft at a ceremony held at the base in Dhahran in the Eastern Province.

The aircraft was assembled in the Kingdom and some of its parts were manufactured locally by Saudis.

Minister of Media Turki Al-Shabanah said in a statement to Saudi Press Agency following the session that the Cabinet emphasized that the Global Aviation Summit 2019 in Riyadh and the signing of air services agreements between Saudi Arabia and a number of countries confirm the Kingdom’s conviction that the success of the air transport industry can only be achieved through strong cooperation among countries and specialized bodies in transportation around the world.

The Cabinet stressed that the Kingdom’s achievement in terms of 13th rank among 175 countries and the first among the Arab states in the Global Cybersecurity Index, which is conducted every two years by the UN International Telecommunication Union, comes as a culmination of the support this sector is receiving from King Salman and the Crown Prince.