Saudi Arabia Bolsters Defense Manufacturing with BAE Systems Arabian Industries
By Shayne Heffernan
Saudi Arabia is making significant strides in its defense sector with the launch of BAE Systems Arabian Industries, a new entity aimed at accelerating localization and strengthening the Kingdom’s military industrial base. This development, reported by the Saudi Press Agency, marks a key milestone in the Kingdom’s push to expand its defense capabilities, aligning with Vision 2030’s goal of achieving a self-sufficient defense sector by 2030. As someone closely following Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation, I’m impressed by the strategic vision behind this initiative and its potential to reshape the region’s military landscape.
BAE Systems Arabian Industries is the result of a merger between two major players in the defense ecosystem: BAE Systems Saudi Development and Training, which specializes in capability building, and the Saudi Maintenance and Supply Chain Management Co., a provider of supply chain and technical services. The merger, finalized nearly four months ago, consolidates over three decades of expertise in defense training, capability development, and logistics. Ahmad Abdulaziz Al-Ohali, governor of the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), inaugurated the company at a ceremony in Riyadh, attended by numerous officials and defense industry leaders. Al-Ohali emphasized that this initiative will enhance local content, transfer knowledge, and build national expertise, supporting the Kingdom’s target of localizing over 50% of military spending by 2030—a substantial increase from 19.35% in 2024, up from just 4% in 2018.
The Kingdom’s defense localization efforts are gaining momentum, as evidenced by recent achievements like the production of its first locally manufactured components for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system launcher in Jeddah. This milestone, following localization agreements signed at the 2024 World Defense Show, reflects growing technical collaboration with global defense firms such as Lockheed Martin. With the non-oil sector contributing 51% to GDP in 2024 and foreign direct investment (FDI) reaching $26 billion, up 12% from the previous year, Saudi Arabia is creating an attractive investment environment for defense partnerships. The integration of national and global expertise within BAE Systems Arabian Industries, as Al-Ohali noted, demonstrates the confidence of major companies in this evolving landscape.
Abdulatif Al-Shaikh, the new company’s CEO, shared a vision to position BAE Systems Arabian Industries as the leading Saudi company in the defense sector, supporting capabilities both within the Kingdom and across the region. This aligns with Vision 2030’s broader objectives of fostering a sustainable military-industrial system while boosting local content in human and technical resources. At Knightsbridge, we’re inspired by Saudi Arabia’s commitment to innovation and self-reliance, principles that mirror our own efforts in the financial sector, where we’re advancing blockchain initiatives with the Knightsbridge Chain, Digital Wallet, and KDA, alongside a range of Bitcoin products like tokenized derivatives and staking options, to drive new demand in global markets.
