Geopolitical calculations set off by Israel’s war in Gaza are prompting global arms manufacturers to look at the Saudi market in new light even as we position ourselves as an emerging hub for defense systems production. The Kingdom remains, by most counts, the world’s second-largest arms importer.

First up: Germany may be having a change of heart and is now considering selling us fighter jets. Germany’s coalition government could consider going ahead with a multi-bn EUR sale of Eurofighter Typhoon jets, the Financial Times reports. It’s not a certainty yet, but changing views of regional security issues are prompting Berlin to reconsider the sale, on which it put brakes back in 2018.

Meanwhile, we’re shopping for missiles — and South Korea is pumped, Bloomberg reports, suggesting Saudi may be just what Korea was hoping for as it looks to build its arms export industry. The Cheongung II KM surface-to-air system system, designed by a group of South Korean affiliates of Hanwha Aerospace, could cost more than USD 3.5 bn, a bit more than the UAE paid for a similar system.

The Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry hosted the kickoff yesterday of the Saudi-Irish Business Forumin Riyadh, Asharq Al Awsat reported, saying that human resources and aviation were high on the list of topics at a meeting attended by representatives of more than 80 Saudi and Irish businesses. Irelands’s minister of state for business, employment, and retail, Neil Richmond, attended.

What Ireland wants: Richmond told attendees that Irish companies are openly interested in investing in KSA — and called on Saudi companies to look at Ireland as a prospective partner.

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