05 November 2019
UAE combines defence manufacturers into new Edge group
by Samuel Cranny-Evans
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has incorporated 25 of the country’s defence manufacturers into a single entity called Edge.
The launch of Edge took place on 5 November at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi.
The goal of Edge is to rapidly introduce new products into the defence market that are aimed at addressing key concerns, through existing commercial technologies and a streamlined prototyping process, managing director Faisal al-Bannai explained during his opening speech.
Its key objectives are to provide defence sovereignty for the UAE, as well as a knowledge anchor for the company to build on “after the last barrel of oil”, and to become an exporter of advanced technology, al-Bannai added later in a press conference.
He also said that Edge would operate with the mindset of a startup, and look to challenge and disrupt the existing defence industry while also emulating the success of public sector companies. Edge is expected to rapidly expand on its current revenue of more than USD5 billion, he said.
“This will be achieved by leveraging existing capabilities, synergising existing efforts across the existing entities, and proactively seeking out a variety of partnerships with other manufacturers,” said al-Bannai.
The company incorporates 25 defence entities into a single conglomerate, operating across five clusters. Platforms & Systems includes armoured vehicle manufacturers Nimr and Al Jasoor, as well as Abu Dhabi Ship Building and the aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul company AMMROC.
The second cluster is Cyber Defence, which will work with “trusted partners”, according to the company. Speaking to Jane’s
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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has incorporated 25 of the country’s defence manufacturers into a sin...
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