ABU DHABI - The Missile Engineering Centre was officially inaugurated on 6th June, in the presence of Tareq Al Hosani, Secretary-General of Tawazun Council, M. Nicolas Niemtchinow, Ambassador of France to the UAE, and M. Eric Béranger, Chief Executive Officer of MBDA.

The aim of the Missile Engineering Centre is to strengthen the long-term partnership between the UAE and MBDA and to establish a bedrock for joint development of missile systems.

This cooperation has the ultimate objective of offering missile systems at the right level of performance while leveraging and reinforcing the sovereign capabilities of the UAE defence industry through significant local content.

The Missile Engineering Centre in the UAE is the first of its kind for MBDA outside Europe; it is operational with a joint team of engineers from Tawazun Technology Innovation and MBDA working on the next generation of the Smart Weapons family.

Secretary-General of Tawazun Council said, “I am delighted to witness the official inauguration of the Missile Engineering Centre in the UAE, which marks a significant milestone in our partnership with MBDA. This centre represents our commitment to enabling the UAE's defence industry. The Missile Engineering Centre is a testament to the successful collaboration between Tawazun Council and MBDA, and it symbolises our shared vision for long-term cooperation and mutual growth in the region.”

"We at Tawazun Council aim to develop advanced missile systems that meet our country's specific requirements while also promoting local content and knowledge transfer," Al Hosani added.

Chief Executive Officer of MBDA commented, "This inauguration is a major landmark for us at MBDA and an illustration of the importance of our local presence and cooperation with our partner Tawazun Council. MBDA and its teams are extremely proud to see the new Missile Engineering Centre operational and already working on the development of the next generation of smart weapons."