Saudi Arabia is expanding its solid-propellant missile production complex near al-Duwadimi, approximately 200 kilometers west of Riyadh, to develop longer-range ballistic weapons capable of carrying heavier payloads, multiple media outlets reported this month based on satellite imagery analysis. Work began in April 2025 on two primary structures: an expanded motor-casting facility equipped with 5-to-6-meter casting pits flanked by blast-deflection walls, and an adjacent site likely intended for raw propellant precursors or component storage.
The upgrades, which experts assess could be operational by late 2026, rely heavily on Chinese technical designs following decades of missile acquisitions, including DF-3 and DF-15 systems.