In February 2023, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) kicked off its International Defence Exhibition (IDEX) and Naval Defence Exhibition (NAVDEX) conferences in Abu Dhabi. This month’s recap reviews several of the major or uniquely interesting news pieces to have emerged from these events.
UAE’s EDGE Group Reveals New In-House Drones
The Emirates’ homegrown defence conglomerate, EDGE Group, added new projects to its growing – and increasingly sophisticated – portfolio of drones.
“Jeniah” UCAV
Arguably, the newly revealed “Jeniah” unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) was the standout design at the EDGE Group pavilion. Marketed with a range of 1,000 km and a payload of 450 kg, the Jeniah could form the basis of an Emirati loyal wingman drone.
Like other loyal wingman projects emerging around the world (such as the Kratos Valkyrie and Bayraktar Kizilelma, among others), the Jeniah sports a stealthy, low-observable design with an internal payload bay catered for air-to-air missiles (AAM) and small air-to-surface precision-guided munitions.
Air Truck Logistics Drone
Another of EDGE Group’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) projects is the “Air Truck.”
Just as the name suggests, the Air Truck is logistics support drone capable of carrying a payload of 500 kg up to a maximum range of 360 km. It can cruise at 120 km/hour.
EDGE Group is marketing the Air Truck as a strategic logistics support asset capable of supplying troops in remote areas and providing emergency medical supplies (and potentially patient airlifting capability).
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