Deep localization and intellectual property sovereignty are the main signals from this year’s World Defense Show, which ends its five-day run today. A big overhaul for SAMI and a new program for manufacturing Saudi-designed land vehicles were the highlights this year.

SAMI 2.0

The state-owned defense giant is becoming a conglomerate. Saudi Arabia Military Industries (SAMI) is transitioning from a single holding company into a “strategic group” that acts as a parent to specialized, operational spinoffs, launching its first two subsidiaries at the show: SAMI Land Company and SAMI Autonomous Systems.

The rationale: The move allows each entity to operate with the “flexibility” of a standalone company rather than a division, integrating existing efforts under specific verticals, Chief Communication Officer Wael Alsarhan told Breaking Defense.

ALSO- SAMI launched Rukn, a local content program targeting the supply chain. The automated portal — designed for suppliers to register for contracts — aims to address “maturity gaps” in the local market by finding local SMEs and upgrading them to the level where they can feed into the new SAMI industrial complex.

A W for Saudi IP

The debut for the new SAMI Land Company was the HEET program — an indigenous armored vehicle line (released in 8×8 and 4×4 variants), with “full Saudi IP and design,” Alsarhan emphasized.

Why this matters: Owning the design means SAMI can modify, repair, and export these vehicles to third parties without needing a re-export license or political clearance.

The Turkish pivot (with a twist)

Turkish companies were heavily present at the event. The highlight was Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) signing a long-term MoU to explore assembling the Gökbey helicopter in the Kingdom. The agreement covers the manufacturing of avionics, hydraulics, and interiors for civil, naval, and air force variants.

The Gökbey agreement is the latest dividend from a rapid diplomatic warming between Riyadh and Ankara. Following President Erdoğan’s visit to Riyadh last week, bilateral trade is now targeting USD 30 bn, up from USD 8.6 bn today.

The twist: This wasn’t the agreement Turkey came for. TAI officials admitted to Aviation Week that they hoped to sign a partnership for the Kaan next-generation fighter, after Erdogan hinted at it during the visit. This signals the Kingdom is not ready to tie its strategic air future to Ankara just yet, keeping the door open for other suitors.

IN CONTEXT- Just days before the TAI deal, Airbus Helicopters signed a similar agreement with the Ministry of Industry to localize the H175 super-medium helicopter.

Also worth mentioning from WDS

The Ministry of Defense said it signed 28 contracts explicitly tied to our 50% localization target, although values were not disclosed. US-based Lockheed Martin partnered with Pioneers Technical Systems to establish the Kingdom’s first PAC-3 ground depot, enabling local repair by 2029. Meanwhile, Italy’s Leonardo is positioning the Royal Saudi Air Force as the launch customer for the armed maritime C-27J Spartan, and US defense giant RTX is pushing its Coyote kinetic interceptors to meet the urgent demand for anti-swarm defenses.

Sign of the times: The show also debuted a dedicated unmanned systems zone and a Future Defense Lab, showcasing brand-new tech in AI and robotics.

Tags: