UAE’s EDGE Group has unveiled new unmanned and autonomous solutions with enhanced capabilities for application across air, land, and maritime domains on the opening day of the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX 2023).
The new breakthrough products and systems cover a wide range of missions, including tactical intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), logistics support, and sophisticated combat operations.
Mansour Almulla, CEO and Managing Director of EDGE Group said:
“Today marks the culmination of extensive investment in industry-leading companies, innovation, and rapid product development to significantly expand our offerings and ensure our local and global customers can access the most cutting-edge solutions in the market. We are proud to debut a portfolio of ‘Made in the UAE’ autonomy-enabled solutions that will enable our customers to expand their reach to new heights and depths across multiple combat environments.”
He added:
“Strengthening sovereign capabilities and bringing globally competitive products to market are strategic priorities for EDGE, and launching 11 new solutions in this critical domain reflects our steadfast commitment to international security and prosperity.”
Providing a high-tech and autonomous means of carrying out a wide range of military operations, JENIAH is an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) with a substantial payload, extended range, and capable of operating at high speed. Displayed alongside the UCAV is its Ground Control Station which is designed to monitor and command the system.
With an even higher payload of 500 kg and a maximum range of 360 km at a cruising speed of 120 km/h, AIRTRUCK is designed for strategic logistics support such as supplying troops in remote locations, medical evacuation, and reconnaissance.
Another addition to the QX range, QX6-50 is developed for logistics purposes for military and civilian applications. Capable of carrying a 50kg payload for up to 200km, the rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can operate autonomously and is highly modular with other QX variants for ease of maintenance.
Designed to accelerate product development and reduce time to market, the Instrumented Testing Platform is a fixed-wing UAV that provides for in-house flight testing of air-to-surface munitions.
Harmonising manned and unmanned aviation, EDGE showcased two unmanned traffic management (UTM) solutions following a strategic investment in UTM provider High Lander. Universal UTM offers real-time, autonomous monitoring of flight plans and drone activity, with the capability to approve or deny flights, suggest alternative routes, and react to mid-flight changes. Also displayed during the event, the interactive Mission Control Platform allows users to automate and control a drone fleet to execute operations, and offers real-time airspace control.
Source: Press Release