Dubai Airshow 2021: Edge targeting unmanned systems as growth path continues

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director of Edge, H.E. Faisal Al Bannai (Edge)

The United Arab Emirates' defence industrial conglomerate Edge is preparing for a significant expansion in the global defence marketplace in the coming years, as the company has been rapidly developing new products and taking them to market and reaching USD5 billion in revenues, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director H.E. Faisal Al Bannai has told Janes.

“There is a whole spectrum of products when it comes to autonomous capabilities, the various drones that we have launched [in] the tactical drones segment. There is the whole segment of smart weapons that we've launched. In total, we've announced over 20 new products and that we have under development probably 40 key products. I think the kind of portfolio between autonomous [systems], smart weapon, or electronic warfare that we are growing says a lot for a company that didn't have these products two years ago,” Al Bannai told Janes.

Customers for the new products have included both Emirati clients as well as export customers in undisclosed locations, Al Bannai said. A major agreement with Saudi Arabia for the Nimr led to the signing of a teaming agreement with Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) and Edge's subsidiary Nimr at the IDEX trade show in February for the Jais 4×4 mine-resistant, ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicle. Further advancement on the project to a contract is expected “very soon”, according to Al Bannai.

In the coming years, according to Al Bannai, there “will be a very clear position carved for Edge in the region and in the global space when it comes to autonomous [systems], electronic warfare systems, and also smart weapons systems”.