Saudi Arabia to build ballistic missile production facility

Saudi Arabia has begun construction on a ballistic missile production facility located approximately 200km from Riyadh. Construction on the site reportedly started in April 2025, with the facility utilizing a design characteristic of Chinese technology.

Production of the DF-15A ballistic missile, which has a range of up to 900km, is expected to commence by the end of 2026. This development follows the reported use of DF-15A debris in Yemen in September 2026, marking the first combat use of this specific missile type by the kingdom.

While Saudi Arabia and China have not officially commented on the nature of their cooperation, analysts suggest the facility may be part of a broader effort to manufacture Chinese-designed missiles locally. This follows previous reports of Saudi Arabia maintaining secret underground bases for Chinese-made DF-3 and DF-21 medium-range ballistic missiles.