IDEX 2025: Industry poised to profit from Middle East air forces’ modernisation efforts
The Eurofighter consortium has identified Qatar and Saudi Arabia as potential export customers, with both countries reportedly looking to order additional batches of Typhoon aircraft. (Photo: Crown Copyright/SAC Maryanna Williams RAF)
Companies such as the Eurofighter consortium and Embraer, await potential orders from the Middle East, while countries including Saudi Arabia and the UAE work to add mass, modernise and replace ageing aircraft.
Within a rapidly growing global defence landscape, countries within the Middle East have seen a noted rise in defence spending over the past year, as efforts continue to modernise their armed forces.
Alone, Saudi Arabia’s defence budget makes up around 3.1% of global defence spending with a reported budget of US$78 billion for 2025. Other Middle Eastern countries, such as Qatar, Iraq and Israel, all increased their defence budgets in 2024.
For Embraer, the Middle East remains a key strategic region. Frederico Lemos, chief commercial officer at Embraer, told Shephard that the Brazilian manufacturer has seen “lots of interest” in its C-390 Millennium, A-29
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