EDGE, one of the world’s leading advanced technology and defence groups, continues to be the UAE’s leading champion and catalyst for defence industry growth. With awarded contracts worth over AED60 billion since its launch in 2019, EDGE continues to capture growing global market share in key defence domains through the establishment of a high-technology industrial base and promoting an innovative knowledge-based economy.

EDGE’s advanced, multi-domain portfolio of sophisticated air, land, sea, and cyber systems and solutions has increased by 500 percent in just under five years. With a focus on autonomous systems, smart weapons, and electronic warfare, 78 cutting-edge solutions have been brought to market, with 82 currently under development. The group’s robust growth strategy, backed up by aggressive product development, calculated international investments in next-generation technology, and strategic partnerships, has resulted in AED12 billion worth of export deals signed with key customers across five continents. The group now ranks as one of the world’s top three suppliers in the precision-guided weapons domain, capturing a significant share of the international market.

Hamad Al Marar, EDGE Group Managing Director and CEO, said, “Our increasingly important position in the global defence industry would not be possible without the support of the UAE’s leadership. Their vision to create an international hub of advanced defence research and Industry 4.0 manufacturing in the country has supported us in achieving a global footprint in over 50 countries. The UAE is now a major exporter of highly competitive, advanced defence technology solutions, with a mature and robust ecosystem. We will continue to strengthen supply chains, capitalise on our 13 local and international acquisitions, partnerships, and joint ventures, and will forge ahead with the upskilling of our workforce of over 12,000 employees. We are privileged to be part of the UAE’ remarkable growth as an innovative industrial base for the development and manufacturing of sophisticated ‘Made in the UAE’ technologies.”

The group’s award-winning Industry 4.0 roadmap is rapidly transforming the UAE’s industrial capabilities by enhancing efficiency through autonomous technology and processes, and driving sustainability initiatives with digital solutions. Within the group’s entities, over 60 Excellence and Industry 4.0 projects were initiated in the last four years, and over 40 have already been implemented. The EDGE Learning and Innovation Factory, a pioneering Industry 4.0 skills and complex technology development centre, upskilled 5,000 individuals in 2023, and 200 individuals to advanced levels in five certification courses, including Lean Management, Six Sigma, Lean Digital, Analytics and IoT, and Agile Management.

EDGE is also working with UAE businesses to develop solutions that stand out in highly specialised sectors. In the aerospace domain, EDGE has collaborated with local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop the RABDA aeronautical engine, a lightweight, compact, high-performance in-line engine that seamlessly integrates onto a broad range of unmanned aircraft. The RABDA will be used to drive the design, development, and production of many UAE-made unmanned aircraft, serving as a testament to the country’s ability to develop critical intellectual property through leveraging in-house expertise.