The UAE will export the first domestically produced air defense missile to Germany
The US news agency “Bloomberg” reported that the UAE will export to Germany the first locally produced air defense missile for German security company Rheinmetall, according to what was announced on the sidelines of the IDEX 2021 defense exhibition in Abu Dhabi.
The UAE’s Edge Group Halcon unit designed the SkyKnight missile system to provide early warning signals and counter-threats from aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles.
According to the agency, this is part of the UAE’s expansion in the production and export of military technology, as this missile system will be part of the “Skynex” defense system of the German company “Rheinmetall” .
The US agency reports that the UAE is committed to localizing military industries and exports, in an effort to diversify her economy and reduce her dependence on foreign companies specializing in defense.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute previously reported that the Abu Dhabi owned “Edge” company last year accounted for 1.3% of global arms sales and ranked 22nd out of 25 major companies in the world.
Bloomberg quoted Faisal Al-Bannai, CEO of Edge, who specializes in autonomous technologies, smart missiles and electronic warfare, as saying that he expects sales to increase by 15% in 2021, exceeding the threshold of $ 5 billion reached last year.
Al-Bannai added that “although electronic warfare systems have only had a limited presence in the Edge portfolio at present, the company plans to become a global player by innovating advanced products in the next two years.
Al-Bannai stressed that “the goal is not to find basic solutions, but to provide truly advanced solutions,”.
Abu Dhabi established Edge in November 2019, with 25 companies under her umbrella, making it one of the largest defense groups in the Middle East.
According to Al-Bannai, his company has unveiled highly sophisticated homemade explosive device jamming devices, as well as GPS parodies to counter drones, and expects sales at the end of the year.
