On Wednesday at the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX), the UAE’s leading defence group, EDGE, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), an aerospace firm in India. The main aim of the MoU is to explore the areas of collaboration that incorporate joint design and development of missile systems and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones).
The use of small gas turbine engines by HAL on EDGE-guided weapons, the use of GPS jamming and spoofing equipment on EDGE platforms, and the possibility of further knowledge sharing by both companies will be investigated further.
The two companies will further delve into a collaborative effort on mission computers, training programs, and the application of additive manufacturing to metallic parts, which will take place at HAL’s and EDGE’s world-class facilities in India and the UAE.
Amid the Russia-Ukraine war, the primary focus of this edition of IDEX in the UAE is drones, cyber security platforms, robotics, air defence systems, maritime security, and more on secure communications. The IDEX displays the state-of-the-art technology that is available globally in the defence sector.
The EDGE in Dubai and HAL in India inked an MoU at INDEX and are praised for being one of the world’s largest tri-service defence exhibitions. The IDEX-2023 Exhibition has been held in Abu Dhabi from February 20 to February 24.
Sunjoy Sudhir, the Indian Envoy to the UAE, visited IDEX, the flagship defence expo of the UAE. He visited the Brahmos Aerospace Stall at the IDEX exhibition. The chief of Brahmos, Shri Atul Dinkar Rane, briefed the Indian envoy on various projects undertaken by the Russian joint venture company and its efforts to promote exports.
Various other companies have signed multiple agreements at the ongoing defence expo. For example, ICOMM, a group company of Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd. (MEIL), has signed an agreement with the UAE-based EDGE entity CARACAL for the first-ever Transfer of Technology (ToT) in defence articles.
On a local basis, ICOMM will manufacture CARACAL’s complete line of small arms in the markets of India under the “Make in India” initiative and the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” scheme. On the 21st of February, the UAE signed a defence contract worth 8.14 billion dirhams ($2.22 billion) at the IDEX expo.
EDGE won the largest deal, with a book value of around $5 billion last year. It won a 4.7 billion dirham contract for its subsidiary Halcon in order to supply Desert Sting P5 systems to the Tawazun Council. ADASI, another subsidiary of EDGE, clinched a 1.33 billion dirham deal for its shadow systems. The clients of EDGE are in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
