EDGE To Supply The UAE Armed Forces With SHADOW and HUNTER Loitering Munitions
On Tuesday, 21 February, ADASI, a subsidiary of UAE defense company EDGE Group, announced that it had signed a contract worth AED 1.33 billion (approximately US$370 million) to supply SHADOW 25 and SHADOW 50 loitering munitions to the UAE Armed Forces. On the same day, another EDGE Group entity, HALCON, signed another agreement worth AED 1.1 billion (approximately US$ 300 million) to deliver HUNTER 2-S, HUNTER 5 and HUNTER 10 loitering munitions to the UAE Armed Forces. The agreements were signed at the International Defense Expo and Conference (IDEX 2023), which was held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC).
“We are delighted to sign this landmark deal which represents a significant milestone for ADASI in enhancing the UAE’s sovereign defense and autonomous capabilities,” said ADASI CEO Juma Al Kaabi of the contract for SHADOW loitering munitions. “We are committed to delivering the most advanced technologies and solutions that meet the UAE Army’s requirements, now and in the future. Our SHADOW 25 and SHADOW 50 loitering munitions ensure high accuracy with extended endurance and range, and we are confident that they will ensure a decisive advantage in protecting those on the frontlines.”
About the contract that includes HUNTER fixed-wing loitering munitions, Saeed Al Mansoori, Senior Vice President of ADVANCED CONCEPTS, stated, “We are elated to be delivering platforms that harness the latest technology. The cutting-edge AI of the HUNTER 2-S and autonomous capabilities of the HUNTER 5 and 10 will be a powerful force multiplier for the UAE Armed Forces, providing close aerial support and aerial strike capabilities.”
The HUNTER family of fixed-wing loitering munitions from HALCON is intended for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) as well as aerial strike missions. The HUNTER 2-S, 5, and 10 are also transported in vehicle-mounted containers. The HUNTER 2-S is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with advanced artificial intelligence that can perform coordinated missions as a swarm. The Hunter 2-S has a take-off weight of up to 13kg and a payload of 2kg. The system can stay in the air for 30 minutes and can reach an altitude of 1,000 meters at a cruising speed of 80km/h. The Hunter 5 has a payload capacity of 5kg and a maximum altitude of 1,500m. The drone is designed for recon and attack missions, with a cruising speed of 40 knots and a 30-minute endurance. It has a wingspan of 2.4 meters, a length of 1.9 meters, and an electric engine. The maximum takeoff weight for the Hunter 10 is 50kg, and it has a length of 3.4 meters and a wingspan of 4.2 meters. The system, which can stay in the air for 40 minutes, can reach altitudes of up to 2,500m, and has a cruising speed of 60 knots.
The SHADOW 25 and SHADOW 50 are a family of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems designed for long range and long endurance missions, with high precision strike capability against fixed targets. These loitering munitions, which were first shown at the IDEX 2021 International Land Defense Exhibition, are equipped with an onboard navigation system and advanced guidance capabilities. Shadow 25 has a wingspan of 2.36 meters, a length of 2.86 meters, and a height of 0.76 meters. The Shadow 25 system has a maximum take-off weight of 80kg and a cruising speed of 400 km/h with a flight time of 40 minutes. The Shadow 50 drone has a wingspan of 3.47m, a length of 2.136m, and a height of 0.78m, making it larger than the Shadow 25. The vehicle’s maximum take-off weight is 125kg, with a payload of 50kg. The piston engine in the Shadow 50 allows for a cruise speed of up to 180km/h, an altitude of around 12,500 feet, and an operating range of up to 295 km with a flight time of up to 9 hours.