Saudi Arabia armed with German help

Saudi Arabia receives support from Germany in building up an independent defense industry. After the Rheinmetall Group has set up a munitions factory near Riyadh via a subsidiary in South Africa, where Saudi Arabia can now produce artillery shells and bombs for its air force, a Rheinmetall manager will preside over the new armaments company SAMI (Saudi Arabian Military Industries). Saudi Arabia, which ranks third with Russia among the countries with the largest military budgets worldwide, plans to spend half of its arms purchases on companies in its own country. In this context, SAMI is to become one of the 25 most important weaponsmiths in the world - with close contacts to US defense giants, but also to the military industry of the EU. The project will be launched at a time when the Riyadh is taking a very aggressive course to defeat Iran in the power struggle for supremacy in the Middle East.