EDGE has received a pair of new contracts to produce uncrewed air vehicles (UAVs) for the United Arab Emirates’ armed forces.
Announced at the UMEX & SimTEX show in Abu Dhabi on 20 January by the Tawazun Council for Defence Enablement, the deals are valued at just over a combined AED680 million ($185 million).
As detailed by Tawazun, the awards cover the purchase of an undisclosed number of HT-100 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAVs for just over AED661 million, and an AED22 million allocation for “developing a gyrocopter into an unmanned logistics aircraft”.
The UAE has previously awarded EDGE a development and production contract for an initial buy of the HT-100, which has a payload capacity of 60kg (132lb). The VTOL product has been developed in conjunction with Switzerland-based ANAVIA, in which EDGE holds a majority stake.
No further details were revealed about the logistics gyrocopter development activity.
Meanwhile, EDGE has signed an agreement with Qatar’s Barzan Holdings to establish a new joint venture “to support the co-development of technologies aligned with evolving national security requirements, while reinforcing sustainable industrial capability in the UAE and Qatar”.
The pact was announced at the DIMDEX show in Doha on 20 January.
