The strategic partnership between Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom (UK) dates back nearly a century, spanning diplomacy, trade, investment, energy, and cultural exchange. But the defense cooperation between the two kingdoms remains a core pillar of their enduring relations.
This was further emphasized as the Saudi Ambassador to the UK visited the Farnborough International Airshow 2026, where he engaged with defense leaders and industry professionals.
Engagements at Farnborough
The Big Picture: Saudi Ambassador to the UK and Northern Ireland Prince Abdullah bin Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz paid a visit to the Farnborough International Airshow 2026 on July 22, where he met with senior UK defense officials and leading industry executives to strengthen bilateral defense industrial partnerships and support the strategic goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
Deep Dive: Prince Abdullah bin Khalid discussed ways to deepen cooperation in the field of advanced defense industries to serve the shared interests of Saudi Arabia and the UK and bolster regional and international security.
Key meetings with UK defense leadership:
- Robert Pearce, UK National Armaments Director.
- Avril Jolliffe, Director General for Industry, Trade, and Economic Security at the UK Ministry of Defense.
- Vice Admiral Edward Ahlgren, Senior Military Adviser to the Middle East and North Africa.
Key meetings with defense industry leaders:
- Executives from top British and international defense companies, including BAE Systems, Eurofighter, MBDA, and Rolls-Royce.
Why It Matters: Discussions focused on deepening collaboration across four primary areas:
- Technology transfer and exchange.
- Research and innovation.
- Industrial development.
- Capability and talent development.
Saudi-UK Defense Industrial Cooperation
The Context: The Saudi Ambassador reiterated Riyadh’s commitment to encouraging British companies to reinforce their long-term industrial presence in the Kingdom and to actively participate in Saudi Arabia’s localization initiatives.
He also noted that expanding cooperation in advanced technologies and innovation will enhance the competitiveness and resilience of the defense sector in Saudi Arabia and the UK, in addition to cementing their longstanding strategic partnership.
Between the Lines: Under the transformative Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia aims to localize more than 50% of its military spending by the end of the decade. These efforts are spearheaded by the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), alongside Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), the Kingdom’s commercial defense champion. By the end of 2024, the localization rate of military spending reached around 25%, surging from 4% in 2018.
How the Partnership with the UK Advances Localization?
Flashback: During a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah in April 2026, the outgoing UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, reiterated the UK’s commitment to supporting Saudi Arabia as a steadfast ally, including through the recent deployment of the Sky Sabre air defense system. The two leaders also explored ways to further bolster the Saudi-UK defense industrial cooperation to boost capability and mutual security for the long term.
State of Play: Grounded in a Military and Security Cooperation Agreement signed in 2017, the defense cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the UK has evolved beyond procurement into a domestic industrial partnership that involves Joint Ventures (JVs), local supply-chain integration, and technology transfer.
In-Kingdom Final Assembly (IKFA) Program
Launched in 2017 at King Abdulaziz Air Base in the Eastern Province, IKFA is one of the most prominent strategic initiatives within the Saudi-UK defense cooperation, aimed at strengthening defense manufacturing capabilities in Saudi Arabia.
It is managed under the Saudi-British Defense Cooperation Program (SBDCP) with BAE Systems, in close partnership with the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) and the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF), and under the oversight of GAMI, enabling the final assembly and testing of military aircraft (such as Hawk trainer jets) inside Saudi Arabia.
By the Numbers:
- 80% Saudization rate across technical and engineering teams.
- 33,000 locally assembled aircraft components.
- 25 Saudi companies involved in the local supply chain.
Eurofighter Typhoon Integration
Through agreements with BAE Systems, RSAF operates a fleet of 72 Eurofighter Typhoons. The partnership’s focus has shifted from buying aircraft to building Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) capabilities locally.
Under this cooperation, over 100 repair capabilities were transferred to local firms, empowering more than 550 Saudi employees. Dedicated base facilities were also established for the maintenance of more than 400 components.
A Milestone: In June 2026, Saudi Arabia successfully completed the 2,500-flight-hour Major Scheduled Servicing overhaul for the RSAF’s Eurofighter Typhoon entirely on Saudi soil, marking the platform’s first-ever heavy maintenance overhaul executed outside Europe.
Saudi-UK Tech Transfer
GCAP Program
Saudi Arabia is currently considering joining the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) – a multinational initiative launched by the UK, Italy, and Japan to develop a sixth-generation stealth fighter by 2035.
What He Said: “I think, I believe, there is still an interest (from) Saudi (Arabia) to be part of this program,” Lorenzo Mariani, CEO of Leonardo, said during an interview on the sidelines of the Farnborough International Airshow 2026.
Advanced Air Mobility
On the sidelines of the Farnborough Airshow 2026, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) and British advanced air mobility (AAM) pioneer Vertical Aerospace signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to advance the Kingdom’s AAM sector by contributing to the establishment of the necessary regulatory and operational foundations.
Furthermore, Cluster 2 Airports Company signed an MoU with Vertical Aerospace to support infrastructure solutions for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
