Dubai Airshow 2021: Abu Dhabi’s Edge subsidiary wins Dh3.2b contract from UAE Armed Forces

Halcon, a subsidiary of UAE’s EDGE Group, has won a Dh3.2 billion contract from the UAE Armed Forces for its ‘Thunder’ and ‘Desert Sting’ range of precision guided munitions.

The Thunder range consists of variants of aerial munitions (distinguished by their weight and warhead size) all based on the same building blocks when it comes to the technology. It is a cost-effective, short-range system that combines an inertial measurement unit and a global navigational satellite system measurements to guide it to pre-programmed targets. A semi-active laser seeker can optionally be fitted to enhance precision.

Desert Sting is a light weight guided weapon with a custom designed warhead that operates with a Halcon-designed stores interface unit (SIU) and can be deployed on multiple weapon (2 or 4) racks on aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles - independent of the level of integration with the aircraft.

“This is a significant contract on a global scale for this type of weapons system,” said Saeed Al Mansoori, CEO of Halcon. “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.”

Lahab, another EDGE company, is charged with filling the Desert Sting warhead, which is manufactured in the Halcon production facilities at Tawazun Industrial Park in Abu Dhabi.