Media: US-Saudi joint venture to build drone factory near Riyadh

A joint venture between a US defence startup and a Saudi firm is building a manufacturing facility near Riyadh to produce combat drones modeled on Iran’s Shahed system, Semafor reveals.

The facility is being developed by SR2Vector, a partnership between Utah-based Vector Defence and Saudi startup SR2 Defence Systems. It will produce a one-way attack drone developed by Vector, known as SKYWASP, which is capable of striking targets up to 1,500 kilometres away — roughly the distance from Saudi Arabia’s northeast coast to Tehran.

“SKYWASP is a program that can level the playing field and boost Saudi Arabia’s deterrence capabilities,” Lucien Zeigler, SR2’s chief strategy officer and co-founder, told Semafor.

Zeigler did not disclose production volumes or timelines but said output would meet strategic defence needs.

“SKYWASP is a program that can level the playing field and boost Saudi Arabia’s deterrence capabilities,” he said.

He added that the facility will produce “operationally relevant volumes consistent with the kingdom’s strategic deterrence requirements,” but declined to provide details on investment size or when production would begin.

The drones will reportedly be supplied for both Saudi Arabia’s domestic use and export to allied countries. The project will also be backed by MASNA Ventures, a defence technology fund currently being raised by Zeigler.

By Sabina Mammadli