The second edition of the World Defense Show (WDS) was held from 4th to 8th February 2024. The WDS encompassed all aspects of modern warfare from firearms to aviation to cyberwarfare, with the event being held at a purpose build airport and exhibition centre near the town of Malham, 70km north of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

Flying Display
A two to three hour flying display was held every afternoon, with three aerobatic display teams and two fast jet solo displays operating from the event site.

While technically not parts of the flying display, on Show Day 1 a pair of Saudi Air Force Airbus Helicopters H215M Cougars carrying Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz and his entourage, arrived at the airport prior to the start of the flying display. The Prince, who is the Saudi Minister of Defense and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), arrived to inaugurate the World Defense Show 2024.

On Show Day 2 a Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 787 and an Airbus A321, as well as a Flyadeal Airlines A320 that had been in the static display departed before the flying display started.

As for the flying display proper, the RSAF Eurofighter Typhoon fast jet solo display and the Saudi Hawks represented the host nation, and they were joined by the PLAAF Ba Yi (August 1st) and Turkish Stars aerobatic display teams, with the Pakistani Air Force JF-17 Thunder providing the second solo display.

A third solo fast jet in the flying display was the USAF A-10 Thunderbolt II, performing the first display of what subsequently turned out to be their last display season. An example of the A-10 was in static display at the WDS, but the display aircraft flew in from another air base in the region.

The flying display was boosted by several fly-bys, including a US Navy P-8A Poseidon, USAF F-16 pairs & solo fly-bys, and a French Air Force Dassault Rafale that performed a few flypasts.

A single RSAF F-15SA Eagle was also parked on the flightline, but unfortunately it never flew for the entire week.

On the last day of the show, once all the display flying had ceased, aircraft in the static display were prepared & positioned for departure, with the static display USAF A-10 & F-16 departing at dusk for their home bases elsewhere in the region.

Static Display
The Royal Saudi Armed Forces had a large presence in the static display at the WDS, with aircraft from the Saudi National Guard, Navy, and Air Force.

Royal Saudi Air Force highlights were the four green special coloured F-15C, F-15SA, Tornado and Typhoon fast jets, along with a regular coloured F-15SA. Larger Air Force aircraft on display included a Boeing E-3D AWACS and an Airbus A330 MRTT.

The Saudi National Guard had one example each of an AH-64, AH-6i and UH-60M on display, the Saudi Navy had an MH-60R Seahawk, while the Royal Saudi Land Forces had a Chinook, Blackhawk & Apache on show.

The US military had a large contingent of aircraft on static display, presumably aircraft that were already based in the region. Single examples each of a C-130J, A-10C, E-11A, F-16C, F-15E, KC-130 were provided by the USAF, while the US Army provided a pair of Blackhawks.

Other foreign military aircraft on static display were a Dassault Rafale from the French Air Force, An A400M & Wildcat from the UK, a JF-17 Thunder from the Pakistani Air Force, A KC-390 from Brazil and an Ilyushin Il-78 from Russia.

In a sign of things to come, Turkish Aerospace Industries had an Akinci UAV on display, while CAIG displayed a Wing Loong-10B UAV.

Final Impressions
The World Defense Show 2024 provided a fantastic opportunity to see and photograph aircraft that are rarely seem outside of their home countries, namely all of the Saudi military aircraft, along with the Chinese J-10 and Pakistani JF-17 fast jets.

The flying display was held in the afternoon, and mostly in blue skies, with the low afternoon light and desert background providing a unique canvas to photograph the aircraft against, especially the display teams with their vivid aircraft and coloured smoke.