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Saudi Arabian Military Industries

Defence

Saudi Arabian Military Industries Overview

Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) is a wholly owned company of the Public Investment Fund (PIF).

It was established in May 2017 to advance Saudi Arabia’s defence industrialisation strategy.

Aligned with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, SAMI says it is focused on localising Saudi Arabia’s military industries and developing defence systems.

At the World Defense Show in 2024 featuring locally made weapons, tanks, radars and drones, a SAMI representative said that by 2027 it aimed to have “full manufacturing, mass production for all types” and to export.

SAMI’s number of employees grew over 600 percent in 2023 to reach more than 7,000, 71 percent of whom are Saudi nationals.

Saudi Arabian Military Industries News

Saudi minister of defense Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz at the presentation of the Hawk T-165 jet, assembled and partly manufactured in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia shows off local arms industry gains

Saudi Arabia showed off locally manufactured military equipment at a major defence show in Riyadh this week as it tries to offset its massive foreign arms spending through its own arms production.  Government officials at the World Defense Show said the country has managed to increase domestic military spending to 14 percent of the total […]

Visitors inspect a combat helicopter at a Riyadh defence show. Saudi Arabia is one of the world's biggest military spenders

Zamil wins $153m deal to build Saudi defence complex

A Dammam construction company has won a SAR575 million ($153 million) contract to build a defence manufacturing complex in Al Kharj, central Saudi Arabia. Zamil Steel Construction Company agreed the deal with Saudi Arabian Military Industries (Sami), a Public Investment Fund company set up to lead the development of the kingdom’s defence industry. The Al […]

military helicopters

Saudi grant programme to develop local defence sector

Two Saudi government entities have launched a four-year programme of grants worth 664 million riyals ($177 million) to support the development of a local defence sector, part of plans to diversify its arms industry sources by 2030.   The General Authority for Defense Development and Public Investment Fund-owned Saudi Arabian Military Industries (Sami) launched the initiative […]

Lockheed thaad defence

Saudi defence spending to rise further despite Iran detente

Saudi Arabia is set to maintain one of the highest defence expenditures relative to the GDP in the world, according to a leading data analysis firm, despite the current trend towards de-escalation with Iran.  Defence spending will grow 4.5 percent a year to $86.4 billion in 2028, from $65.3 billion in 2022 and a defence […]

Saudi in pact with Turkey to localise drone production

Saudi Arabia has signed an agreement with Turkish defence firm Baykar Tech to localise the manufacturing of drones in the kingdom. “The agreement aims to enhance the readiness of the armed forces and bolster the kingdom’s defence and manufacturing capabilities in line with Vision 2030,” state-owned Saudi Arabian Military Industries (Sami) posted on messaging platform […]