Saudi Arabia's SAMI concludes supplier forum in Türkiye
ISTANBUL, November 12, Saudi Arabia Breaking News – Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), a company owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), has concluded a two-day supplier forum in Istanbul aimed at expanding industrial cooperation with Turkish companies and strengthening domestic defense manufacturing capabilities, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The RUKN Supplier Day, held on November 11–12 under SAMI's Local Content Program, brought together more than 100 companies to explore supply-chain partnerships, local production and technology transfer opportunities.
The event was organized with support from the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Türkiye (DEİK), the Türkiye–Saudi Arabia Business Council and SAHA EXPO Istanbul. Participating Turkish defense companies included ASELSAN, HAVELSAN, ROKETSAN and FNSS.
Senior Saudi and Turkish officials attended the forum, including Saudi Minister of State Bandar AlKhorayef, SAMI Group CEO Thamer bin Mohammed Al-Muhid, Istanbul Governor Davut Gül and Turkish Defence Industries Agency President Haluk Görgün.
Representatives from five SAMI Group companies assessed supplier capabilities against 95 targeted requirements covering aerospace maintenance, land systems, autonomous technologies, ammunition, defense electronics and advanced manufacturing.
The discussions focused on potential sourcing agreements, local manufacturing, supplier development and industrial collaboration, with an emphasis on expanding Saudi Arabia's domestic supply chains and reducing reliance on external suppliers.
Al-Muhid said the industrial relationship between Saudi Arabia and Türkiye provided a foundation for developing longer-term partnerships.
"Our ambition goes beyond contracts to lasting partnerships that strengthen local manufacturing, develop Saudi suppliers, and enable technology and knowledge transfer in line with Saudi Vision 2030," he said.
The RUKN program was launched at World Defense Show 2026 by Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. It aims to strengthen domestic industrial capabilities by increasing local production and integrating Saudi suppliers into defense procurement networks.
The initiative forms part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 strategy, which includes a target to localize more than 50% of the Kingdom's total military spending by 2030.
Source: Saudi Press Agency (SPA)
