Saudi Specialized Products Company (Wahaj), a Sipchem subsidiary, signed a teaming agreement with Lockheed Martin in Riyadh on Wednesday to develop the company’s in-country production capability to co-manufacture Paveway II Plus Laser Guided Bombs (LGBs) in Saudi Arabia. The agreement was signed at the Armed Forces Exhibition for Diversity of Requirements and Capabilities annual conference. Chairman of Wahaj Abdulrahman al-Saif affirmed that the agreement will consolidate the country’s domestic defense industry. “The team at Wahaj looks forward to securing the best local talent to help us meet the capacity of future Paveway II Plus LGB manufacturing,” he added. Paveway II Plus LGB from Lockheed Martin integrates an advanced guidance system to convert conventional gravity bombs into precision guided munitions and includes an enhanced guidance package that improves accuracy over legacy LGBs. Paveway II Plus LGBs are cleared for use on US Air Force, US Navy and international aircraft authorized to carry and release LGBs such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s F-15s, F-16s and the Tornado. Alan Chinoda, Chief Executive of Lockheed Martin Saudi Arabia, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the company’s solutions will contribute to fostering Saudi security and providing solid ground to create job opportunities and achieve economic prosperity. He noted that Lockheed Martin seeks signing a deal on the establishment of a joint project to produce Black Hawk helicopters in the kingdom. Speaking about current products of Lockheed Martin, Chinoda stated that the company basically deals with development, research, design, manufacturing, integration and sustainability of systems, products and advanced technology services. He added that Lockheed Martin is committed to establishing partnerships with additional local partners to increase local capabilities. Chinoda stressed the company’s keenness to support the kingdom’s national security goals to cement the development plan, forecasting that domestic military production would exceed 70 percent when in full operational capacity.