On the opening day of IDEX 2023, EDGE unveiled 11 new cutting-edge unmanned and autonomous solutions with enhanced capabilities for application across air, land, and maritime domains.
The new breakthrough products and systems cover a wide range of missions, including tactical Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), logistics support, and sophisticated combat operations.
“[This] marks the culmination of extensive investment in industry-leading companies, innovation, and rapid product development to significantly expand our offerings and ensure our local and global customers can access the most cutting-edge solutions in the market,” said Mansour Almulla, CEO and Managing Director of EDGE Group. “We are proud to debut a portfolio of ‘Made in the UAE’ autonomy-enabled solutions that will enable our customers to expand their reach to new heights and depths across multiple combat environments.”
Air
Providing a high-tech and autonomous means of carrying out a wide range of military operations, JENIAH is a combat UAV with a substantial payload, extended range, and the ability to operate at high speed. Displayed alongside the combat UAV is its Ground Control Station which is designed to monitor and command the system.
With an even higher payload of 500kg and a maximum range of 360km at a cruising speed of 120 km/h, AIRTRUCK is designed for strategic logistics support such as supplying troops in remote locations, medical evacuation, and reconnaissance.
Another addition to the QX range, QX6-50 is developed for logistics purposes for military and civilian applications. Capable of carrying a 50kg payload for up to 200km, the rotary-wing UAV can operate autonomously and is highly modular with other QX variants for ease of maintenance.
Designed to accelerate product development and reduce time to market, the Instrumented Testing Platform is a fixed-wing UAV that provides for in-house flight testing of air-to-surface munitions.
Harmonizing manned and unmanned aviation, EDGE showcased two Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) solutions following a strategic investment in UTM provider High Lander. Universal UTM offers real-time, autonomous monitoring of flight plans and drone activity, with the capability to approve or deny flights, suggest alternative routes, and react to mid-flight changes. Also displayed during the event, the interactive Mission Control Platform allows users to automate and control a drone fleet to execute operations, and offers real-time airspace control.
Land
Following the acquisition of a majority stake in Milrem Robotics, EDGE showcased three of the company’s cutting-edge UGVs. THeMIS Combat UGV provides high precision direct fire support for maneuver units and acts as a force multiplier, while THeMIS Observe UGV is built for tactical reconnaissance missions with a variety of sensors for day and night operations.
Type X Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) is rapidly deployable alongside traditional infantry fighting vehicles to provide overmatching firepower and tactical usage on the battlefield. Milrem Robotics’ unmanned systems are complemented with Milrem’s Intelligent Functions Kit MIFIK that provides autonomous capabilities and a command-and-control system intended specifically for robotic systems that integrates multiple dissimilar unmanned aerial and ground assets.
Demonstrating its commitment to advancing in-house capabilities, EDGE presented an 8×8 RCV concept, NIMR RCV, which is built for tactical mobility, high performance, maneuverability, and speed. Modular in design, the multi-role platform can lower lethality risks by increasing standoff distance from enemy units.
Sea
Designed for maritime ISR missions and underwater mine detection, ADSB’s 170 Detector USV can be configured for manned or unmanned operations to perform a range of surface warfare, surveillance and mapping missions for naval and civilian forces. 17m in length, it can operate for 4 hours in silent electric propulsion mode or at speeds up to 40 knots in diesel mode.
Attendees of IDEX can visit EDGE and its portfolio of companies at Hall 5, stand A05 – C10 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center until 24 February, 2023.
“Strengthening sovereign capabilities and bringing globally competitive products to market are strategic priorities for EDGE, and launching 11 new solutions in this critical domain reflects our steadfast commitment to international security and prosperity,” Almulla concluded.
