Indian defense producer Munitions India Limited has won a contract to supply artillery ammunition to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Eurasian Times reported on this.

Amid growing tensions in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has placed a large order for 155-mm artillery ammunition. This deal was concluded during the WDS-2024 international defense exhibition.

The signed contract is worth $225 million, which is the largest export order for Munitions India Limited.

This is not the first contract for the Indian company to supply artillery ammunition in the Middle East. For example, in 2017 and 2019, the UAE bought 40,000 and 50,000 155-mm artillery shells, respectively.

Munitions India Limited is a subsidiary of the Indian Ministry of Defense and a top manufacturer of a wide range of ammunition, not just 155-mm but also 105-mm and 125-mm.

The United Arab Emirates and Armenia, as well as one unnamed European country, have been the known customers of 155 mm shells. Saudi Arabia became the fourth and largest customer of artillery ammunition.

In addition, in 2020, Saudi Arabia carried out trials for Bharat Forge’s (a subsidiary of private firm Kalyani Strategic Systems) Bharat 52, a 155-mm, 52-caliber towed howitzer. Later, in 2022, Kalyani Strategic Systems announced that it bagged an export order worth $155 million for artillery guns from an unnamed Middle Eastern country.

This customer could have been Saudi Arabia, which is currently ordering artillery ammunition for these systems.

Militarnyi previously reported that Saudi Arabia was ordering Cheongung 2 SAM systems from South Korea to improve its missile and air defense capabilities.

The contract for the SAM system supply between Saudi Arabia and South Korea was signed in November 2023, but it was announced only this week.

The Ministry of Defense noted that Saudi Arabia is purchasing 10 batteries of Cheongung 2 Block 2 systems and is becoming the second export customer after the United Arab Emirates, which signed a contract worth $3.5 billion in January 2022.