US, UAE arms firms to co-develop AI-powered drones

A US high-tech arms company is to design and produce AI-powered drones in the United Arab Emirates under a joint venture, the two parties say, strengthening close defense ties.

America’s Anduril and the UAE’s state-owned defense conglomerate, EDGE Group, will jointly develop the Omen drone at a new, 50,000 square feet (4,645 square meters) research center in Abu Dhabi, a statement says.

The UAE will acquire the first 50 units, officials say. A publicity photo showed the Omen carrying the UAE air force’s insignia.

The lightweight, long-distance, autonomous drone takes off and lands like a helicopter and flies like a plane, allowing it to be deployed from within war zones and disaster areas.

“This is… about disrupting current maritime patrol, special mission aircraft, much bigger systems. That’s what we’re going after,” Anduril senior vice-president Shane Arnott says in a media call.

Omen is intended to be the “first of many” products from the joint venture, which builds on decades of US-UAE defense ties, the statement says.

During President Donald Trump’s visit to Abu Dhabi in May, the US and UAE announced plans for a new defense partnership that would include “joint capability development.”

The UAE, nicknamed “Little Sparta” by former US defense secretary James Mattis, has deployed its military to conflicts in Afghanistan, Libya and Yemen.

The oil-rich desert monarchy, which has diplomatic relations with Israel, hosts the US Air Force at its Al Dhafra base.