MKU, Saudi Firm Sondos Form Joint Venture

Our Bureau - : Feb 11, 2026 - : 4:46 pm

Indian defence manufacturer MKU Limited and Saudi Arabia’s Sondos Advanced Industry have formally announced the formation of a joint venture to manufacture soldier protection equipment in the Kingdom. This marks a new phase in bilateral defence industrial cooperation. The joint...

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The joint venture, named Tuwaiq Armour Industrial Corporation, was inaugurated by MoS Defence Sanjay Seth at the World Defense Show (WDS) 2026 in Riyadh. This is the first joint venture between MKU and a Saudi defence company, and is aligned with Saudi Arabia’s ongoing efforts to expand domestic manufacturing as part of its wider economic diversification programme.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia, like other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, has been making efforts to diversify from its oil based economy. Under the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 framework, it has started investing in non-oil sectors, with defence manufacturing identified as a priority area. The aim is to reduce reliance on imports, retain critical technologies and develop local industrial capacity.

Under the joint venture, Tuwaiq Armour will manufacture ballistic helmets, body armour and hard armour plates in Saudi Arabia. The production facilities will combine MKU’s armour technologies with Sondos’ existing industrial infrastructure and market access in the Kingdom.

MKU already has an operational presence in Saudi Arabia, having supplied more than 30,000 body armour systems and ballistic helmets to the Royal Saudi Land Forces over the past several years.

“This joint venture reflects our long-term intent in Saudi Arabia,” said Karan Gupta, Vice President, International Sales, MKU Ltd. “We are moving beyond a supply-led engagement towards becoming an embedded manufacturing partner.”

Tarfa Abdulrhman Al-Motari, CEO and President of Sondos Advanced Industry, said the partnership would contribute to local industrial development. “Tuwaiq Armour strengthens Saudi manufacturing capability while bringing proven defence technologies and technical expertise into the Kingdom,” she said.

Local Manufacturing Focus

The venture will focus on technology transfer, workforce training and local sustainment capabilities. Manufacturing, quality control and lifecycle support are expected to be carried out within Saudi Arabia, supporting the Kingdom’s objective of building an indigenous defence industrial base.

At WDS 2026, MKU and Sondos jointly displayed soldier protection systems under the Kavro Tuwaiq branding, including body armour, helmets and hard armour plates tailored for different operational requirements.

India Pavilion Makes Debut at WDS

The joint venture announcement coincided with India’s expanded presence at the exhibition. Seth led a high-level Indian delegation to WDS 2026, comprising officials from the Department of Defence Production and the Armed Forces.

As part of India’s participation, Seth inaugurated the first-ever India Pavilion at the World Defense Show. Spread across 400 square metres, the pavilion featured nearly 25 Indian defence enterprises including public sector companies: Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited, Bharat Dynamics Limited, Munitions India Limited and others. They showcased platforms ranging from armoured vehicles and artillery systems to missiles, ammunition and surveillance radars.

On the sidelines of the exhibition, Seth held meetings with Saudi Assistant Minister of Defence Khaled bin Hussein Al-Biyari and Governor of the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) Eng. Ahmad bin Abdulaziz Al-Ohali. Discussions focused on defence manufacturing, industrial collaboration and expanding opportunities for joint production.

Shift in India–Saudi Defence Engagement

India–Saudi defence cooperation has expanded beyond a buyer–seller relationship in recent years. Saudi Arabia’s diversification strategy, coupled with India’s push to grow defence exports and manufacturing, has led to greater emphasis on joint ventures, training and co-production.

Mku / Defence-manufacturing / Vision-2030 / Sondos-advanced-industry / Tuwaiq-armour /

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