The appearance of Chinese-made defence systems across the Gulf has attracted significant attention since the outbreak of the Iran conflict. Analysts have pointed to the deployment of Chinese counter-drone systems in the UAE and the growing prominence of Chinese unmanned platforms in regional arsenals as evidence that Beijing is gaining ground in a market long dominated by the United States.

Yet focusing solely on Chinese hardware risks missing the larger lesson. The war has revealed less about China’s rise than about the vulnerabilities embedded within the Gulf’s existing security architecture. For decades, Gulf states have relied on the US for military protection, advanced weapons systems, software support, sustainment and operational integration. The conflict has highlighted the strengths of that model. It has also exposed its limits.

The Gulf remains deeply dependent on US military technology. Saudi Arabia operates one of the world’s largest fleets of US-made combat aircraft outside the US. Patriot batteries remain central to regional air defence. THAAD systems form a critical layer of missile protection. US command-and-control networks continue to underpin the region’s most advanced military capabilities.

What the conflict has exposed, however, is that dependence extends far beyond equipment purchases. Modern military power rests on software architectures, maintenance networks, upgrade pathways and industrial supply chains – areas where Gulf states remain most reliant on foreign partners.

What the conflict has exposed, however, is that dependence extends far beyond equipment purchases. Modern military power rests on software architectures, maintenance networks, upgrade pathways and industrial supply chains – areas where Gulf states remain most reliant on foreign partners.

Saudi Arabia alone has faced a backlog of some 360 THAAD interceptors, with no deliveries from US production since 2023 as the supply chain prioritises replenishing America’s own stockpile, a gap not expected to close before 2027. The challenge has not been access to advanced systems, but access to sufficient capacity during a period of sustained conflict.

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Saudi Arabia’s experience illustrates this challenge at the industrial level. The Kingdom has invested heavily in defence localisation........

© Middle East Monitor