TSAMTO, November 14th. The American company Anduril Industries will create a joint venture with the Emirati EDGE Group to develop and manufacture several types of UAVs in the UAE.
According to a press release from the American company dated November 13, the Abu Dhabi-based EDGE Anduril Production Alliance joint venture will specialize in Omen autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (Omen) at the first stage. The initial order will be 50 such systems.
It is noted that thanks to the combination of software for Anduril's autonomous Lattice systems and a developed regional production base, the deal will allow the UAE to deploy mass production of drone swarms for its own needs, strengthen the military industrial base and export systems with autonomous functions throughout the Middle East. Serial production is scheduled to begin by the end of 2028.
The joint venture will produce other products that the companies will jointly develop for the local market, including for customers in the Middle East region. At the same time, all orders in the United States will be executed at the Anduril Arsenal-1 plant in Ohio.
In addition to the production and technical base of the joint venture, Anduril is establishing its own representative office in the UAE with a 4,600 square meter research and virtual modeling center. m for the development of future platforms. This is the first representative office of the company outside of Australia, the UK and the USA.
The Omen multipurpose autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle belongs to the 3rd class UAV (maximum take-off weight less than 600 kg), which, according to Shane Arnott, Senior Vice President of Programs and Engineering at Anduril, is 3-5 times the payload of traditional 3rd class platforms.
Omen is designed as a highly autonomous system. Artificial intelligence is a key element that allows the drone to navigate independently, make decisions and complete complex missions without constant manual control.
As part of the collaboration, EDGE Group gets access to the advanced Lattice AI system. The system allows several autonomous vehicles to coordinate their actions, adapt to changing conditions in real time, and function as a single "three-dimensional command and control center." EDGE says it will invest $200 million in the program, in addition to the $850 million invested by Anduril in this technology.
The UAV combines vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities with aircraft-type cruise flight. This ensures the flexibility of the application, without requiring a runway, while maintaining a long flight range.
The drone is designed to perform a wide range of tasks, including reconnaissance, surveillance, logistics, search and rescue operations, and can also serve as a flying communications tower to restore communications in disaster areas.
The device is equipped with a hybrid electric propulsion system, which provides a long flight duration and sufficient power reserve to support various payloads.
