Unmanned helicopters for the UAE: Edge wins major order for 168 Anavia HT-100 and HT-750

Emirati defence and technology group Edge has received a significant major order for unmanned helicopters from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the United Arab Emirates. According to the company, the deal consists of two contracts that together provide for the delivery of 168 aircraft of the Anavia HT-100 and HT-750 types. Both models were only recently presented at IDEX 2025.

The helicopters will be built and delivered to the UAE Armed Forces by Anavia, a Switzerland-based Edge Group company: specifically 76 HT-100 and 92 HT-750. According to Edge, the order is among the world's largest single contracts for autonomous unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

The contracts with the UAE Ministry of Defence underline our commitment to enabling modern unmanned reconnaissance and logistics operations through high-performance autonomous systems— Jon Andri Jörg, CEO of Anavia

According to Jörg, security developments clearly point towards unmanned capabilities; at the same time, Anavia contributes to the UAE's technology ecosystem.

Two unmanned helicopters for reconnaissance and logistics

The already combat-proven HT-100 was conceived as a rapidly available alternative to crewed rotorcraft for reconnaissance and data collection missions; it is all-weather capable and can be used by day and night. The larger HT-750 is intended primarily for logistics missions. It carries heavy payloads and, according to the manufacturer, flies very stably even under demanding operating conditions.

The contracts were announced at the Unmanned Systems Exhibition & Conference (UMEX) and the Simulation and Training Exhibition (SimTEX) 2026, which ended a few days ago. With the order, Edge continues its strategy of expanding the UAE's military capabilities through the large-scale use of modern unmanned systems.

The Edge Group brings together more than 35 companies under one roof. They are spread across five core areas: Platforms & Systems, Missiles & Weapons, Space & Cyber Technologies, Technologies & Industrialisation, and Homeland Security.