WDS 2026 — Lockheed Martin is opening a command and control software factory in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in accordance with Riyadh’s efforts to localize defense production.
“The new facility will introduce the company’s advanced software development ecosystem to the Kingdom, enabling the rapid development of sovereign software applications and supporting their integration into Lockheed Martin platforms and systems,” Lockeed said in a statement on Jan. 28.
Joseph Rank, chief executive for Lockheed in Saudi Arabia and Africa, described the facility as a “long-term development platform” that “creates a structured pathway for Saudi engineers and companies to design, develop and integrate software into Lockheed Martin systems in a way that supports shared security and interoperability.”
The American defense giant said that the new factory will enable the “integration of third-party applications supporting host-nation development within a secure and interoperable command-and-control ecosystem.” Rank told Breaking Defense that software developed by the platform “can be Saudi-owned intellectual property and tailored to the Kingdom’s operational requirements.”
“Over time, the Software Factory will serve as a hub for software collaboration across our portfolio in the Kingdom, helping grow sovereign technical expertise in Saudi Arabia while strengthening innovation, integration and long-term industrial capacity that supports both nations,” Rank said.
This is not the first coproduction agreement Lockheed has with the Kingdom. In 2024 it contracted two Saudi firms to manufacture subsystems of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) air defense system.
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But experts told Breaking Defense that establishing the software factory signals a subtle shift for the better for the Kingdom.
“This is a notable achievement for Saudi Arabia’s localization efforts, particularly in its defense sector, as it brings in-country software that Saudis can develop on their own to work with Lockheed systems. That gives Saudi Arabia a notable advantage in its usage of Lockheed systems, like THAAD, as it cuts down on the time needed for code to be deployed in THAAD systems,” senior Middle East and North Africa analyst at the RANE Network Ryan Bohl told Breaking Defense.
He added that the new facility “will help deepen cooperation between the US and Saudi defense sectors, allowing the Saudis the ability to develop their own software and apps that have applications outside of Saudi Arabia, benefiting both countries.”
Gulf defense analyst Leonardo Jacopo Maria Mazzucco agreed.
“While past collaboration focused on MRO [modernization, repair and operations], licensed manufacturing, and component production, this initiative aligns with Saudi Arabia’s ambition to develop a full-spectrum military-industrial base that includes command-and-control software, systems integration, and sovereign digital capabilities,” Mazzucco told Breaking Defense.
He added that this “reflects a move up the defense value chain and supports Vision 2030 goals around localization, talent development, and technological autonomy.” Vision 2030 is a broad push by the Saudi government to become more self-reliant, including mandating that by 2030 at least 50 percent of defense production be done in-country.
Lockheed said in its statement that close cooperation has already seen success in early software integration.
“In less than two weeks, Saudi interns at Lockheed Martin worked alongside engineers from Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) Advanced Electronics Company to develop a solution that integrates commercial aircraft location data directly into Lockheed Martin’s CommandIQ TM common operating picture,” according to the statement.
SAMI AEC is an electronics firm, subsidiary of the Saudi government-owned defense giant Saudi Arabian Military Industries. SAMI is expected to have a large presence at the third edition of the World Defense Show taking place next week in Riyadh.
As for the new Lockheed facility, both experts agreed that while the new facility may not play a major role in Lockheed’s international supply chain, it could limit disruptions related to regional turmoil.
Bohl said the current Lockheed global supply chain is “still very US/NATO-centric,” but the facility is “part of a wider goal of resiliency and back-ups; Saudi Arabia can now play a role in preventing supply chain disruption and/or find innovate solutions for its own market that will strengthen Lockheed Martin’s overall supply chain.”
Mazzucco said the factory is “less about supplying parts and more about accelerating software integration, customization, and experimentation within a secure framework. Over time, its importance will depend on how effectively it contributes to reusable software components, rapid prototyping, and regional command-and-control solutions that can be scaled across Lockheed Martin platforms.”
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