Saudi Minister of State, member of the Council of Ministers and Acting Governor of the General Authority for Military Industries Bandar bin Ibrahim Al-Khorayef called on Turkish defense companies to invest in the Kingdom and develop joint manufacturing projects there. He made the remarks during the Turkish-Saudi Defense Industries Days, hosted by Istanbul on November 11 and 12.
Turkish media reported that Al-Khorayef said the Kingdom welcomed Turkish companies with competitive expertise that sought to manufacture in Saudi Arabia and build long-term partnerships serving the domestic market and reaching global markets. He said the share of local content in Saudi military industries had risen from 4% to 24.3% since the authority was established, as part of Vision 2030, which aims to localize more than 50% of military spending.
Al-Khorayef stressed the importance of strengthening local supply chains, highlighting the role of the local-content program launched by Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) in increasing the participation of local manufacturers and training technical personnel.
Visit to Baykar headquarters
On the sidelines of his participation in the “Rukn Suppliers Meeting” organized by SAMI in Istanbul, Al-Khorayef visited the headquarters of Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar with a Saudi delegation. Al-Khorayef said, as reported by Anadolu Agency: “We look forward to expanding opportunities for cooperation in a way that contributes to transferring and localizing technologies and building competitive and sustainable national capabilities.”
In 2023, SAMI signed an agreement with Baykar to localize the manufacture of drones and their components in the Kingdom, as part of a package of agreements that also included the Turkish companies Aselsan and Roketsan.
102 companies at one table
The event brought together 72 Turkish companies and 30 Saudi companies for bilateral business meetings, with participation from members of the SAHA Istanbul defense industry cluster and the Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Board. Turkish Defense Industries President Haluk Gorgun said his country was ready to transfer its expertise to joint development and production programs serving the goals of Vision 2030, stressing that the objective was not an arms race but a “security umbrella” with friendly countries.
This activity follows the signing by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan of the “Mecca Agreement for Joint Defense” in August 2026, during a summit hosted by Mecca.
Photos: Baykar via Anadolu Agency, SAHA Istanbul
