Halcon, an end-to-end manufacturer of precision-guided munitions, secured a Dh3.2 billion ($880 million) contract from the UAE Armed Forces for its Thunder and Desert Sting range of precision-guided munitions.
The order received by Halcon, a unit of UAE defence conglomerate Edge, is among the largest issued by the UAE Armed Forces, the company said in a statement on Monday.
“This is a significant contract on a global scale for this type of weapons system. It is with a great sense of responsibility for having been entrusted with this undertaking that we move ahead in confidence that the performance of our systems will fully justify the UAE Armed Forces’ trust in us,” Saeed Al Mansoori, chief executive of Halcon, said.
The order comes a day after another unit of Edge, GAL, an aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul service (MRO) provider, secured a Dh11bn contract from the UAE Air Force and Air Defence (Afad), marking the biggest defence deal on the first day of the Dubai Airshow.
Military and civil contracts worth billions of dollars are expected to be finalised at the Dubai Airshow taking place this week. This year's civil and military exhibition – a major display of products from jumbo jets to military drones – is the first major in-person global aerospace exhibition in two years since the aviation industry was hit by Covid-19, considered the worst crisis in its history.
Halcon plans to manufacture the newly developed Desert Sting warheads at Tawazun Industrial Park in Abu Dhabi, it said.
The Desert Sting is a lightweight, guided weapon with a custom-designed warhead that operates with a Halcon-designed stores interface unit (SIU) and can be deployed on multiple weapon racks on aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Thunder range consists of different variants of aerial munitions (distinguished by weight and warhead size) all based on the same technology building blocks.
The contract confirms the “combat proven capabilities of Halcon’s family of guided weapons, having achieved the rigorous requirements demanded from the UAE Armed Forces”, the statement said.
Halcon has autonomous technology capabilities in areas including guidance and control, navigation, aerodynamic design, weapon flight control computers, warheads and servo systems. The company is a part of the Missiles & Weapons cluster within Edge, which ranks among the top 25 military suppliers in the world.
Separately, Earth, another unit of Edge, signed a preliminary agreement with Lockheed Martin to modernise aviation capabilities of UAE pilots who fly Apache helicopters, which are used in advanced warfare by the military.
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Dubai Airshow 2021 - in pictures
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The potential partnership will lead to Earth operating, repairing and sustaining services for the Modernised Targeting and Designator Sensor (M-TADS) systems. M-TADS, known as the "Eyes of the Apache", enables targeting and pilotage in day, night and in adverse weather missions.
The two companies will explore innovative ways to localise critical aspects of sustainment of Apaches flown by the Joint Aviation Command, they said.
The agreement was signed by Omar Al Zaabi, senior vice president head of programme acquisition at Edge, and John Clarke, vice president, capture excellence and international business development at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, during the Dubai Airshow.
Defence spending in the six-member GCC economic bloc is expected to rise to pre-coronavirus levels by 2024, defence intelligence specialist Janes said in a report in February.
The strong economic bounce back is expected to support the sovereigns’ defence expenditure as revenue increases, the report said.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
How it works
Booklava works on a subscription model. On signing up you receive a free book as part of a 30-day-trial period, after which you pay US$9.99 (Dh36.70) per month to gain access to a library of books and discounts of up to 30 per cent on selected titles. You can cancel your subscription at any time. For more details go to www.booklava.com
The Lost Letters of William Woolf
Helen Cullen, Graydon House
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
BRIEF SCORES
England 228-7, 50 overs
N Sciver 51; J Goswami 3-23
India 219, 48.4 overs
P Raut 86, H Kaur 51; A Shrubsole 6-46
England won by nine runs
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
