Emirati defence technology house EDGE Group and US autonomous platform specialist Anduril Industries announced on 13 November 2025 that they are forming a joint venture to accelerate the design, development and production of autonomous systems to support civil and defence mission sets in the Middle East and surrounding regions.
Th two companies are forming the EDGE-Anduril Production Alliance in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), described as a jointly owned production, sales and sustainment vehicle for next-generation autonomous systems that will serve as a centre of gravity for modern commercial and defence manufacturing in the region. The detailed arrangements and necessary US and UAE approvals required to form the new joint venture are currently being worked through.
The joint venture is designed combine EDGE’s regional presence and established trust across the Middle East with Anduril’s expertise in rapid, software-driven development and large-scale production. Together, the two companies say they “aim to deliver the kind of affordable, fieldable mass that modern deterrence requires – systems that are capable, scalable, and ready for operational use for a wide range of commercial and defence applications”.
The companies noted that the UAE has already finalised the acquisition of 50 examples of the Omen system: a hover-to-cruise autonomous air vehicle (AAV) co-developed by Anduril and EDGE that combines the endurance, payload and mission flexibility of much larger air vehicles into a runway-independent, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) Group 3 unmanned aerial vehicle. The Omen AAV builds on a USD 850 million (EUR 730 million) investment in mission autonomy technology and Group 3 VTOL development by Anduril, paired with nearly USD 200 million in new investment from EDGE. Together, the companies will take the aircraft from development to full-rate production by the end of 2028. This will create a guaranteed production base that anchors the new joint facility, expands local supply chains and accelerates the UAE’s path towards domestic mass production of autonomous dual-use aircraft, establishing a clear transition from co-development to serial production, operational deployment and future export to regional and international customers.
Omen systems for the UAE and other allies will be produced locally by the EDGE-Anduril Production Alliance in the UAE, while US orders are expected to be fulfilled at Anduril’s Arsenal-1 facility in Ohio.
In addition to the EDGE-Anduril Production Alliance’s expected production and sustainment facilities, Anduril is creating a permanent UAE presence with a 50,000-square-foot research, development and virtual simulation centre, purpose-built to expand and evolve with future programmes. This facility will serve as a regional hub for engineering, design, and prototyping – supporting the development, integration and testing of advanced autonomous systems and related hardware.
His Excellency Faisal Al Bannai, the chairman of EDGE Group, was quoted in a joint press release as stating, “Our strategic partnership with Anduril opens new pathways for EDGE to harness some of the most advanced autonomous systems engineering in the world. Embedding that capability in the UAE fundamentally accelerates how we innovate, build and field next-generation systems. Omen exemplifies this transformation, combining deep autonomy, operational intelligence, and local production to reinforce the UAE’s position at the forefront of autonomous air capability.”
Trae Stephens, co-founder and executive chair at Anduril, added, “Defence innovation is measured not by ideas, but by the pace at which those ideas translate into capability. With EDGE, we’re aligning the means of production with the urgency of modern deterrence.”
