The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE’s) EDGE Group, under which the Emirates’ major defence concerns operate, has announced it had secured AED 18.6 Bn (EUR 4.8 Bn) worth of business at IDEX 2023, declaring the show “a great success”.
Announcing the figure on the last day of the show, which was held in Abu Dhabi from 20-24 February 2023, EDGE noted that AED 4 billion of that was for export contracts. The group additionally noted that it had launched 14 new products at the show, including 11 autonomous/unmanned systems, and had signed more than 20 international agreements.
Major deals signed by EDGE entities at the show included a landmark EUR 1 billion export deal secured by Abu Dhabi Ship Building to supply the Angolan Navy with three 71 m corvettes, major weapon contracts for the UAE armed forces totalling more than AED 10 Bn and a contract valued at AED 4 Bn to provide the UAE armed forces with tactical communications and datalink solutions.
Among the product launches for EDGE entities at IDEX were Caracal unveiling the first UAE-developed light machine gun, SIGN4L debuting its Skyshield counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) solution, and Nimr launching an upgraded version of its Long Range Security Operations Vehicles (LRSOV).
EDGE also signed over 20 agreements and joint ventures at the show with major defence companies, including BAE Systems, Fincantieri, HAL, ICOMM, John Cockerill, Lockheed Martin, L3Harris and Raytheon Emirates, among others.
“The great success of IDEX 2023 is evidence of the continued innovation of the defence sector, and the huge strides EDGE has made over the last three years,” Mansour AlMulla, EDGE Managing Director and CEO, was quoted by the group as saying. “EDGE continues to disrupt the industry, pushing the boundaries of advanced technology across multiple domains with a focus on autonomous capabilities, smart weapons, and electronic warfare – all areas in which EDGE is rapidly becoming recognised as a global leader. The 14 cutting-edge products we have launched this week, and the large multi-billion dollar national and international contracts and deals signed, are a clear indication that we are on the right trajectory to achieving our goals and ambitions as we bolster our sovereign capabilities and increase our global footprint through exports.”
Peter Felstead
