The GDC Group’s new GDC Middle East subsidiary is expanding its activities into aircraft operations, engineering training and development of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) equipment. It is working closely with sister companies GDC Technics, which is the group’s Texas-based aircraft completions center, and also with maintenance and aircraft engineering specialist GDC Engineering in Germany.

The Riyadh-based company announced a five-year contract to operate VIP-configured helicopters for undisclosed clients in Saudi Arabia. According to the company, GDC Middle East will provide full support for the helicopters, including flight crew, maintenance, flight planning and dispatch, training and spare parts management. “This is a significant contract for our newly created company GDC ME,” said CEO Fawaz Sharabi. “We are very proud to have been chosen by an esteemed customer.”

Separately, during the Dubai Airshow, GDC Middle East reported that it has signed a cooperation agreement with Turkish ISR group ESEN System Integration. The Ankara-based company was formed in February 2012 through a partnership with Sierra Nevada Corp. of the U.S.

Finally, GDC Middle East also announced that it is to start training Saudi Arabian aerospace engineers under a new five-year program. The training is to be provided by GDC Technics and GDC Engineering.

Earlier this year, the GDC Group announced plans to establish a new GDC Africa subsidiary in Morocco, providing completions and maintenance services.