Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth inaugurated the strategic joint venture between MKU Limited and Sondos Advanced Industry, named Tuwaiq Armour Industrial Corporation, at the World Defense Expo in Riyadh in 2026. The announcement marked a significant milestone in MKU’s long-standing engagement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and reaffirmed its commitment to supporting local defence manufacturing and long-term capability development within the country.
Through Tuwaiq Armour, the partners stated that they intended to localise the production of advanced soldier protection solutions in Saudi Arabia, including ballistic helmets, body armour, and hard armour plates, in alignment with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 objectives of strengthening domestic defence manufacturing, retaining critical technologies, and building a resilient national defence industrial base.
MKU’s Vice President–International Sales, Karan Gupta, said that the formation of Tuwaiq Armour reflected the company’s long-term intent in Saudi Arabia, noting that MKU was moving beyond a supply-led relationship to become an embedded manufacturing and capability partner. He added that, together with Sondos, the venture aimed to create sustainable industrial capacity to support the operational requirements of Saudi defence and security forces over time.
Tarfa Abdulrhman Al-Motari, CEO and President of Sondos Advanced Industry, expressed enthusiasm about deepening collaboration with Indian defence companies and described Tuwaiq Armour as an important new venture that would strengthen Saudi Arabia’s industrial capabilities while bringing world-class technology and expertise into the Kingdom. She emphasized that the partnership aligned with Vision 2030 goals of localisation, knowledge transfer, and the creation of a self-reliant defence industrial ecosystem.
The companies further indicated that dedicated manufacturing capabilities for soldier protection systems had been established within Saudi Arabia, combining MKU’s proven technologies and materials expertise with Sondos’ local industrial infrastructure and market understanding. They highlighted a focus on structured technology transfer, workforce development, and the creation of indigenous technical know-how to ensure that production, expertise, and lifecycle support remain rooted in the Kingdom.
At the World Defense Show 2026, MKU and Sondos also co-exhibited Kavro Tuwaiq soldier protection solutions, including advanced body armour systems, ballistic helmets, and hard armour plates designed for diverse operational environments, demonstrating combat-proven technologies adapted for localisation and future in-country manufacturing under the Tuwaiq Armour initiative.
