EDGE Group

On 5 November 2019, the EDGE group was established and consisted of more than 25 entities from Emirates Defence Industries Company (EDIC), Emirates Advanced Investments Group (EAIG), Tawazun Holding, and other independent organisations to address the UAE's antiquated military industry.[1] The company has approximately 6,000 employees working across its four core clusters: Platforms & Systems, Weapons & Missiles, Electronic Warfare & Cyber Technologies, and Trading & Mission Support.[2][3][4]

At Dubai Airshow 2019, EDGE was the official Advanced Technology Partner.[5][6] EDGE Group's 11 participating entities showcased their range of capabilities which included unmanned aerial vehicles, long-range munitions including the UAE-made ADASI RW-24. AMMROC also announced its plan to open a maintenance facility connected to Al Ain International Airport.[7]

EDGE's entity HALCON signed a US$1 billion contract in November 2019 to deliver its Desert Sting lightweight precision guided missiles to UAE Armed Forces.[8]

Later, GAL, which was part of the Mission Support Cluster within EDGE Group, signed a contract with Kenya’s Ministry of Defence to provide MRO services to the Kenyan Air Force. GAL also signed an AED 3.5 billion support contract with the UAE’s Joint Aviation Command.[9][8]

EDGE joined Tawdheef, the UAE’s leading event for Emiratisation,[10] and the second edition of the biennial Mohamed bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge[11] 2020 (MBZIRC 2020), as the official Advanced Technology Partner in January 2020.[12]

EDGE’s ADASI also launched its VTOL made in UAE drone at UMEX in February 2020.[13]

In 2017, the CG Haenel group, under EDGE, bid to acquire the contract to supply 120,000 assault rifles to Germany’s Bundeswehr, against Heckler & Koch.[14][15] In September 2020, the Defense Ministry of Germany announced that CG Haenel secured the contract of $250 million.[16] However, in early October 2020, the award was lifted by the Defense Ministry, due to patent infringement and risk to the taxpayers’ money.[17][18]

In December 2020 SIPRI reported EDGE ranked 22nd in the world's largest arms companies list.[19] According to Pieter Wezeman, Senior Researcher with the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Programme "EDGE is a good illustration of how the combination of high national demand for military products and services with a desire to become less dependent on foreign suppliers is driving the growth of arms companies in the Middle East." The sales of arms and military services by the largest 25 companies totaled US$361 billion in 2019, with EDGE accounting for 1.3 percent of this total arms sales.[20] According to DefenseNews.com 2021 July report EDGE group is the 24th largest defense contractor.

The company bought majority of shares of Estonian robotic developer Milrem Robotics at 15th of February 2023. Milrem is developing unmanned vehicles, not only for military use, since 2013. German Kraus Maffei Wegmann possesses another share of 24,9 percent. Further parts of Milrem are held by private Estonian investors and some of the companies employees.[21]

In April 2023, the EDGE Group and the Brazilian Navy sign a cooperation agreement for the development of anti-ship and supersonic missiles.[22][23]

The groups subsidiaries are classified under four categories.[24]

• Platforms and Systems
  • ADASI develops autonomous systems such as unmanned aircraft and drones
  • ADSB (Abu Dhabi Ship Building) builds and repairs naval and commercial vessels in their shipyards and work with the UAE navy
  • AL JASOOR supplies an amphibious armoured vehicle
  • AL TAIF provides maintenance and repair services for military ground vehicles
  • NIMR manufactures armoured vehicles
  • EPI is a precision engineering manufacturer for components used in small arms, aerospace, oil and gas industries
• Missiles and Weapons
  • AL TARIQ converts aerial weapons into long range guided weapons
  • APT manufactures low velocity projectiles and smoke grenades
  • CARACAL manufactures small arms
  • HALCON manufactures guides missile systems
  • LAHAB manufactures munitions and provides training and testing
• Electronic Warfare and Cyber Technologies
  • BEACON RED provides security training
  • SIGN4L develops electronic and cyber warfare training
• Trading and Mission Support
  • HORIZON provides helicopter training
  • JAHEZIYA provides emergency response training and certification
  • REMAYA provides shooting ranges and related training and management services

On 24 November 2022, EDGE Group was awarded the prestigious ROI-EFESO INDUSTRIE 4.0 Award 2022 in Munich, Germany, in the ‘SMART WORKFORCE’ category for Best Implementation of Industry 4.0 solutions in 2022. ROI-EFESO Management Consulting AG awards the coveted accolade annually to companies that implement forward-looking and successful pioneering solutions in the areas of Smart Factory, Smart Production, Smart Products & Services, and Smart Supply Chain Management. [25]

• EDGE, one of four global winners, was awarded for its agile, and systematic implementation of multiple Industry 4.0 solutions in 2022.

• EDGE’s Industry 4.0 ambitious roadmap, fast implementation of 30 projects in 18 months, and its exhaustive upskilling of workforce at the EDGE Learning & Innovation Factory, demonstrate EDGE Industry 4.0 ambitions to become a global lighthouse of modern digitisation.