L3Harris Technologies and AEC in flight training agreement for Royal Saudi Armed Forces

L3Harris and AEC, a Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) company, will deliver military training solutions to develop pilots and maintenance technicians, as well as provide performance-based logistics to the armed forces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“L3Harris and AEC are expanding our more than nine-year relationship to bring advanced training and simulation technologies to the Royal Saudi Armed Forces fleet,” said Lenny Genna, President, L3Harris Military Training. “This collaboration will help to enhance flight safety and operational performance, and improves cost efficiency.”

Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, President and CEO of AEC, said: “We are pleased to partner with L3Harris Technologies to further our credentials in rotorcraft simulation as part of our military and defence capacity-building efforts. The agreement will allow AEC to leverage the unmatched expertise of two major industry leaders combined to deliver on Saudi Arabia’s ambitious goals, including localizing 50 percent of its military and security spending and creating new employment opportunities in the country as envisaged in the Saudi Vision 2030, through the transfer of technology and know-how. SAMI, AEC, and L3Harris Technologies will work closely together to explore new avenues of collaboration opportunities to contribute to the development of a self-sufficient military industries sector in the Kingdom.”

L3Harris previously designed, developed, tested and fielded the first UH-60A/L Blackhawk Operational Flight Trainer (OFT) for the Royal Saudi Armed Forces. The team continues to support that trainer while assembling and preparing for acceptance testing of two additional UH-60A/L OFT trainers at AEC’s facility in Riyadh.

L3Harris’ training solutions apply high-fidelity simulators and other trainers to maximize operational readiness and reduce overall cost by replicating multi-aircraft training events and tailored operational scenarios. The training conducted on these devices enhances safety, performance and cost efficiency, and accelerates learning through the highly immersive training experiences.