Agreement Signed in Riyadh with Support from KOTRA’s Global Branch Program… Full-Scale Localization of eVTOL Technology Begins
Future advanced air mobility (AAM) solutions company Airbility Inc. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SANAD Industrial Company LLC of Saudi Arabia to cooperate on the establishment of a joint venture (JV) for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturing and localization. The agreement was signed on the 6th (local time) at the KOTRA Trade Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with support from KOTRA’s Global Branch (Overseas Incubation) Program.
Airbility is a developer of high-speed eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft based on electric tilt-rotor technology. The company was co-founded in 2023 by aerospace experts formerly from Hyundai Motor Company and the Agency for Defense Development (ADD). Airbility is currently developing mission-oriented UAV solutions for a wide range of applications, including ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance), counter-drone (c-UAS), and disaster response (DFR), while advancing scalable aerial platform technologies for the global market.
Its cooperation partner, SANAD Industrial, is an industrial and defense-specialized company under the EROG Group and plays a leading role in localizing advanced manufacturing technologies and strengthening defense industrial self-reliance in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy. This MoU was signed as part of a mutual effort to establish a UAV production ecosystem within Saudi Arabia and promote the localization of aviation technologies.
Under the agreement, the two companies plan to jointly build a UAV manufacturing facility covering approximately 8,000 square meters. In the initial phase, cooperation will focus on assembly and local production of Airbility’s high-speed eVTOL UAV, the AB-U60. In the future, the partnership will expand to the development and production of medium- to large-sized UAVs equipped with hybrid propulsion systems.
Ryu Taekyu, CEO of Airbility, stated,
“We are very pleased to begin full-scale UAV production in Saudi Arabia together with SANAD Industrial, a member of the EROG Group.”
He added, “This partnership represents a significant turning point not only for the localization of Airbility’s technologies, but also for establishing a sustainable growth foundation within the global aerospace industry ecosystem.”
Ali Al Kaabi, CEO of SANAD Industrial, commented,
“We are delighted to localize advanced unmanned aircraft technologies in Saudi Arabia through our collaboration with Airbility.”
He emphasized, “This joint venture will serve as a model case for industrial diversification and the strengthening of independent manufacturing capabilities envisioned under Vision 2030.”
