Emirate’s Edge Group to integrate weapons onto MQ-9B Sky Unmanned
Aircraft System (UAS)
Emirati defense firm Edge Group has entered into a
partnership with General Atomics-Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) to integrate
locally manufactured weapons onto the MQ-9B Sky/SeaGuardian unmanned aircraft
system (UAS). Revealed on the opening day of the Dubai Airshow on November 13,
the collaboration will focus on incorporating a precision-guided munition and a
guided glide weapon onto the UAS.
The U.S. government had approved the Foreign Military Sale
of up to 18 MQ-9Bs to the UAE in November 2020. However, progress on the sale
was slowed when a separate order for up to 50 Lockheed Martin F-35s was put on
hold.
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Edge Group states that the UAE Armed Forces are actively
engaged with GA-ASI and the U.S. Defense Department to finalize the acquisition
of the MQ-9B. The announcement follows a brief appearance of the MQ-9B in a
video presented by the UAE Defense Ministry at the Dubai International Air
Chiefs’ Conference on November 12.
Hamad Al-Marar, President of Edge Group’s Missiles and
Weapons business, expressed enthusiasm about the prospect of integrating their
smart weapons onto the MQ-9B, providing the end user with versatile, highly
accurate, and cost-effective ground strike solutions. Notably, this
collaboration marks the first instance of integrating a non-NATO weapon onto a
GA-ASI UAS platform.
Edge highlights that this agreement represents the inaugural
integration of UAE-made smart weapons onto a U.S. unmanned platform,
characterizing it as a new era in U.S.-UAE defense cooperation, opening doors
for future collaborations.
The MQ-9B's development has enabled options for weapons
integration beyond U.S. armaments. The UK's MQ-9Bs, designated as Protectors,
are set to be integrated with the MBDA Brimstone air-to-ground missile and the
Raytheon Paveway 4 precision-guided bomb.
While the specific weapons to be integrated were not
disclosed by Edge officials, the company boasts a product line that includes
Desert Sting glide bombs and the Al-Tariq family of modular kits for dumb
bombs.
Source: https://aviationweek.com/