United Arab Emirates-based EDGE Group has unveiled its latest application for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in the form of swarming drones.
The defense technology conglomerate introduced the concept, which is said to be the first of its kind to be developed in the Middle East, at the Unmanned Systems Exhibition and Conference (UMEX 2022), taking place in Abu Dhabi.
The swarming drones are based on the Hunter 2 series of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) developed by HALCON, the precision-guided weapons and UAS arm of the conglomerate.
Leveraging advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the tactical drones share information with one another to maintain their relative positions and engage targets. With a maximum take-off weight of 8kg, the winged UAS have a wingspan of 1.44 meters and a length of 1.25 meters.
“We see AI playing a critical role in the advancement of the defense sector and beyond, and EDGE and HALCON are determined to remain at the cutting-edge of these developments that are shaping our sector and the wider world, from our base in the UAE,” HALCON CEO Saeed Al Mansoori commented.
At the same conference, ADASI – another EDGE company – unveiled the Scorpio-B unmanned ground vehicle (UGV). The vehicle can be equipped with remote weapon systems, twin 40mm grenade launchers, pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) sensors with the possibility to mount various payloads of up to 200kg. In addition to being valuable for ISR operations, Scorpio-B can be fitted for tactical overwatch, counter terrorism, CBRN detection, communication relay, and any other types of dangerous missions, ADASI says.
