Last 9 and 10 February, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Squadron General Antonio Conserva, participated in World Defense Show 2026, one of the main international exhibitions dedicated to defence, security, and military technologies, held in Saudi Arabia.
The third edition of the event, organised by the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), was held in Riyadh at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Centre, bringing together governments, the defence industry, technology companies, institutions and international stakeholders. The exhibition provided a platform for discussion on multi-domain capabilities and the future of defence integration, with a particular focus on technological advancements and opportunities for partnerships and industrial programmes in the security and defence sector.
On the sidelines of the inaugural ceremony on 9 February, General Conserva held a working meeting with the Commander of the Royal Saudi Air Force, Turki bin Bandar Al Saud, during which topics related to the geopolitical context of the Middle East and international cooperation were discussed.
During the visit, the Chief of Staff also held bilateral meetings with the leaders of other Air Forces, including the Commander of the Egyptian Air Force, Major General Amr Abd Elrahman Sakr, the AFCENT Commander Lt. Gen. Derek France and the Chief of the Air Staff of the Royal Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth. With the latter, in addition to topics of operational and training cooperation, they also discussed GCAP, with an exchange of views on the programme's prospects and the repercussions in terms of future interoperability and capability development.
The presence in Riyadh also offered the opportunity for a meeting with Italy's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, H.E. Carlo Baldocci, and talks with national defence sector companies present with their own stands at WDS 2026, including AIAD, Leonardo, ELT Group and Iveco Defence Vehicles, as well as a visit to the European consortium MBDA's pavilion and a visit to the Eurofighter Typhoon stand.
Overall, the participation of Air Force General Antonio Conserva in the World Defense Show has helped to consolidate institutional and operational relationships, maintain direct dialogue with partners and allies, and deepen, in a high-level international context, the main dossiers of cooperation and innovation in the aerospace and defence sector.
