Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) Group launched several new key units at the World Defense Show, which opened in Riyadh on Monday.

Minister of Defense and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, who inaugurated the event, organised by GAMI, launched the new SAMI units.

They include: SAMI Land Company, SAMI Autonomous Company, SAMI Land Industrial Complex, and the HEET Program. He also unveiled the SAMI Local Content Program (RUKN), the group's flagship supply chain programme, said a Saudi Press Agency report.

Earlier, Prince Khalid inaugurated the third edition of the World Defense Show, which will run till February 12.

Prince Khalid and his Korean counterpart also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Saudi General Authority for Defense Development and the Korean Agency for Defense Development. The agreement focuses on defense research, development, and innovation in advanced military technologies and systems.

The minister signed an MoU on defense cooperation with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Slovak Republic Robert Kaliňák. He also concluded a defense cooperation agreement with Malaysian Minister of Defense Mohamed Khaled Nordin and an MoU on military cooperation with Minister of Defense of the Federal Republic of Somalia Ahmed Moallim Fiqi.

GAMI Governor and Chairman of the World Defense Show Supervisory Committee Ahmad Al-Ohali commended the leadership's support for localising the military industries sector, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to localize over 50% of military spending. He noted that this support has yielded substantial results, with the localization rate rising from 4% in 2018 to nearly 25% by the end of 2024, putting the sector on track to exceed the 50% target by 2030.

 Al-Ohali indicated that the number of licensed and authorised facilities had reached approximately 344 by the end of the third quarter of 2025, in addition to 603 licences and permits covering military manufacturing, product supply, and service provision. He affirmed the authority’s commitment to increasing the sector’s contribution to the GDP to approximately SAR94 billion by 2030. This growth is expected to create significant employment, with 40,000 direct and 60,000 indirect jobs by 2030.