Lockheed Martin said it has joined hands with Wahaj, a subsidiary of Saudi International Petrochemical Company (Sipchem) to set up a production unit for its Paveway II Plus Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) mechanical parts in Saudi Arabia.

The company today (February 28) has signed a teaming agreement with Riyadh-based Wahaj to develop the company’s in-country production capability to co-manufacture the Air Foil Group (tailkits) for Paveway II Plus LGBs in the kingdom.

The agreement was signed at the Armed Forces Exhibition for Diversity of Requirements and Capabilities annual conference at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center.

"Today marks an important day for Saudi Arabia, as we make progress in the localisation essential to a strong defence industry. The team at Wahaj look forward to securing the best local talent to help us meet capacity of future Paveway II Plus LGB manufacturing,” remarked Abdulrahman A. Al Saif, the chairman of Wahaj.

Paveway II Plus LGB from Lockheed Martin integrates an advanced guidance system to convert conventional gravity bombs into precision guided munitions and includes an enhanced guidance package that improves accuracy over legacy LGBs.

The three configurations of the Air Foil Group (GBU-10 [MK-84 2,000-lb/907.18-kg], GBU-12 [MK-82 500-lb/336.79-kg] and GBU-16 [MK-83 1,000-lb/453.59-kg]) include extending wings that provide lift and stability.

Paveway II Plus LGBs are cleared for use on US Air Force, US Navy and international aircraft authorized to carry and release LGBs such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s F-15s, F-16s and the Tornado.

“We are dedicated to supporting the Kingdom’s national security objectives defined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 development plan,” remarked Alan Chinoda, the chief executive, Lockheed Martin Saudi Arabia.

“By the time production ramps to full operational capability, we envision localization to be upwards of 70 per cent,” stated Chinoda.

Lockheed Martin has been a qualified supplier of Paveway II LGB kits since 2001 and has delivered more than 100,000 kits to customers, he added.

Established in 2013, Wahaj is one of Saudi Arabia’s fastest growing precision engineering company, with expertise in precision CNC machining, tooling design and manufacturing, structure assemblies for the aerospace, Defence, Oil & Gas and Power Industries.-TradeArabia News Service