Drone industry: Anduril and Edge Group bet on Omen with joint venture

A new alliance in the drone industry: US company Anduril and the Edge Group from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are forming a joint venture to advance the design, development and production of autonomous systems. The focus is on civil and military missions in the Middle East and neighbouring regions. More generally, the partners aim to broaden access to advanced, software-defined technologies.

Part of the plan is a newly founded joint company for production, sales and maintenance: the Edge–Anduril Production Alliance is to serve as a hub for modern commercial and military manufacturing in the region. The detailed agreements are currently being finalised, subject to the necessary approvals from the US and the UAE.

The venture is to combine Edge’s regional presence and the trust it has earned in the Middle East with Anduril’s expertise in software-driven development and high-volume production. The partners have already confirmed a first project: development of the Omen systems. A first order is also in place: the UAE intends to procure 50 of these systems – even though, according to the company, Omen is not due to be ready for series production until the end of 2028. The early order secures production for the joint venture and accelerates the development of future joint systems.

H.E. Faisal Al Bannai, Chairman of the Edge Group, commented on the cooperation with Anduril: “Our strategic partnership with Anduril opens new avenues for Edge to harness some of the world’s most advanced autonomous system technologies. Embedding these capabilities in the UAE fundamentally accelerates how we innovate, build and deploy next-generation systems. Omen exemplifies this shift, combining comprehensive autonomy, operational intelligence and local production to strengthen the United Arab Emirates’ position at the forefront of autonomous aviation.”

Drone industry across borders: a portfolio for military and civil use

The plan is to cooperate on defined projects, coordinate the related business development worldwide and thus create a joint offering of autonomous systems for military and civil purposes. Anduril co-founder and Executive Chairman Trae Stephens stressed: “Innovation in defence is measured not by ideas, but by how quickly those ideas are turned into capabilities. With Edge, we are aligning the means of production with the urgency of modern deterrence.”

Through the joint venture, Edge gains access to Lattice, Anduril’s software platform. The platform provides a foundation layer for AI-driven command and control functions that is to shape both new and existing joint venture systems within the scope of the project. Anduril, in turn, gains a trusted manufacturing base in the Middle East: it can design, adapt and build its own systems in Abu Dhabi for customers in the region. According to the press release, both companies also share a common philosophy: “Move fast, invest ahead and deliver real capability.”

Omen: hover, cruise flight and Lattice on board

Omen, as ordered by the UAE, is an autonomous air vehicle (AAV) capable of hovering and operating in cruise flight. It combines the endurance, payload and autonomy of larger systems with the flexibility of a compact system that needs no runway. It is based on the 725 million euros Anduril has invested in mission autonomy technology and in developing Group 3 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) systems, complemented by new investment from Edge of around 170 million euros. The release states: “Together, the companies will take the aircraft from development to series production by the end of 2028”.

The frame is light and foldable. Two people are therefore enough to transport, set up and launch the system within minutes and without special infrastructure. Its intended roles range from maritime surveillance and logistics resupply to air defence surveillance and communications relay. With Lattice at its core, multiple aircraft can coordinate their routes, share sensor data and adapt their behaviour in real time.

Thanks to an open, modular architecture, Omen can be reconfigured for different defence and civil tasks. The system is also being optimised for numerous commercial missions beyond the military. Conceivable uses include a flying mobile phone mast that restores connectivity after natural disasters, or a means of delivering humanitarian aid and supplying remote areas when land routes are cut off.

With the order for 50 Omen systems, the UAE has created a production base including a manufacturing system. This also maps out a clear path from joint development through series production to operational deployment and later export to customers in the region and worldwide.

Production in the UAE and in Ohio

If the UAE itself or other states in the Middle East place orders, production will take place locally at the Edge-Anduril Production Alliance in the UAE. Orders from the US, by contrast, are likely to be fulfilled at Anduril’s Arsenal-1 plant in Ohio.

Alongside the alliance’s planned production and maintenance sites, Anduril is establishing a permanent presence in the United Arab Emirates: a 50,000-square-metre centre for research, development and virtual simulation, designed specifically to expand and advance future programmes. As a regional hub for engineering, design and prototyping, the facility is to support the development, integration and testing of autonomous systems and associated hardware.