Saudi Arabia is reportedly expanding its domestic ballistic missile production capabilities, with satellite imagery suggesting new construction at the Al-Duwadimi military complex about 200 kilometres west of Riyadh. According to Reuters, researchers from the Finnish Institute of International Affairs analysed Planet Labs images taken between April 2025 and September 2026, identifying a new building that appeared to contain casting pits used to manufacture solid-fuel missile motors. Such facilities allow solid propellant to be poured into missile motor casings and hardened before use. Researchers said the expansion could enable Riyadh to produce larger and more powerful solid-fuel ballistic missiles, while characteristics of the facility reportedly resembled Chinese missile production plants. The researchers also identified wreckage in Yemen from a Chinese-designed DF-15 missile reportedly fired by Saudi Arabia.
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