More than 85 per cent of Iranian drones that were launched at the UAE were eliminated by Edge Group’s systems, the UAE defence conglomerate has said.
“It’s all manufactured in the UAE and has been deployed in such a short time,” Hamad Al Marar, managing director and chief executive of Edge, told The National in an interview at the Make it in the Emirates event in Abu Dhabi on Monday. “We are very proud that we were readily available in times like this.”
Iran fired 537 ballistic missiles, 26 cruise missiles and 2,256 drones at the UAE, resulting in the death of 10 civilians as well as two UAE Armed Forces personnel and a Moroccan civilian contractor working for the military.
The attacks damaged civilian infrastructure and energy sites in Abu Dhabi. However, Edge's jammers and geofencing capabilities helped in tackling attacks, Mr Al Marar added.
Edge, set up in 2019, specialises in building advanced technology for weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare, with more than 35 companies under its umbrella.
Mr Al Marar expects demand for its defence products and solutions to rise as it demonstrates its capabilities during the conflict.
He expects annual revenue to rise in single-digit percentages over the next three years, with exports increasing in regions they sell to in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The company has recorded an annual revenue of Dh18.36 billion ($5 billion), with 70 per cent coming from global exports and the rest from the UAE Armed Forces.
The company was ranked 37th out of 100 companies globally, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) last year.
Edge‘s backlog order stands at more than $25 billion, with plans to increase new orders in the coming years. Globally, countries are boosting military spending amid a rise in geopolitical tension.
Aligned on defence
World military expenditure reached nearly $3 trillion in 2025, an increase of 2.9 per cent from 2024, according to the Sweden-based think tank.
The top three military spenders – the US, China and Russia – spent a combined $1.48 trillion, or 51 per cent of the global total, Sipri said last month.
Edge is looking to strengthen its relationship with Israel “on every front”, bolstering ties after signing the Abraham Accords in 2020.
“We are co-operating on every level … technology, for developments, for supply, we are doing many things,” Mr Al Marar said.
In 2021, Edge said it was partnering with Israel Aerospace Industries to develop an advanced counter-unmanned aircraft system that can detect and intercept a number of threats.
Edge is also boosting collaboration with defence entities across the globe. This includes a partnership with the Brazilian army to test Caracal rifles in rigorous and operational environments by specialised troops.
It has also signed a preliminary agreement with Indra Group to jointly explore the development and production of next-generation radar systems in Brazil.
An agreement to explore the establishment of a UAE-based joint venture, supported by a commercial pipeline of about $1.5 billion, was also signed with Spain's EM&E Group.
Edge is spending Dh10 billion to Dh12 billion a year to procure materials from the domestic market and support the homegrown industry.
About 60 per cent of annual revenue “goes into procurement of materials, that's Dh10 billion to Dh12 billion a year that we can actually put into the local market”, Mr Al Marar added.
