Saudi Arabia's SAMI Land has unveiled its HEET family of AFVs at WDS2026, with a hint of FNSS's involvement as the firm’s partner in the development.
SAMI Land has unveiled its new armoured vehicle family alongside its plans for the expansion of production capabilities during the WDS2026 exhibition.
The 8x8 variant of HEET was shown with a 105 mm turret, signalling that Saudi Arabia is interested in acquiring HEET as a fire support vehicle. However, IFV or other configurations are likely to be on the table.
On the other hand, the 4x4 variant can be described as a crossover of generic 4x4 tactical vehicles and larger wheeled AFVs as the high mobility variant. SAMI Land plans to use its ROAYA 12.7 mm turret with a considerable armour package on HEET 4x4.
In addition to the new armoured vehicles, SAMI has announced the launch of the SAMI Land Industrial Complex to expand the development and production output of Saudi Arabia.
FNSS Might be SAMI Land's Partner for HEET's Development
A ToT and joint production deal was signed during IDEF2025 between SAMI and FNSS involving armoured vehicles. When SAMI announced the signing of the deal, PARS ALPHA was used as a representative image, which was understood to give context. Upon the inspection of HEET’s overall design, a similar layout can be observed, which hints at PARS ALPHA forming the basis, with some changes based on Saudi requirements.
Turkiye is no stranger to such joint developments, with the RABDAN IFV developed by Otokar and UAE-based Al Jasoor as an amphibious derivative of ARMA 8x8 being a notable example. Changes for RABDAN include the installation of water jets, a trim vane, and a BMP-3 turret as the armament.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor:Özgür Ekşi
