ASSESSMENTS

Saudi Arabia Lays the Foundation for a Defense Industry of Its Own

Nov 9, 2018 | 20:05 GMT

Saudi air force officers and technical staff walk past an advanced F-15SA fighter jet during a ceremony on Jan. 25, 2017 in Riyadh marking the 50th anniversary of the creation of the King Faisal Air Academy.

(FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images)

Highlights

Saudi Arabia has sought to lower its dependence on arms imports by building up its own defense industry, a process still in its infancy.
Saudi Arabia has also considered diversifying the sources of its arms and has looked to suppliers in countries such as Russia and China.
While the Saudis will make progress on building a defense industry that will provide economic benefits and increase their autonomy in the decade ahead, they will remain heavily dependent on their partnership with the United States.

Saudi Arabia, flush with money, nestled in a hostile environment and saddled with demographic shortcomings, has long spent freely to bring in weapons from abroad. And over the past five years, driven by its intensifying competition with archrival Iran and a heavy military commitment in the Yemen conflict, this trend has accelerated. During the period of 2013-17, the number of arms systems the Saudi government purchased grew by 255 percent compared with its acquisitions from 2008-12, ranking it behind only India among global arms importers, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute....

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