Emirati defence giant Edge is courting US weapons makers with plans to co-produce arms for American buyers, its chief executive told Reuters, as the state-owned group seeks to deepen ties with Washington and start some manufacturing in the United States.
Edge last week announced a tie-up with US drone maker Anduril to build a new unmanned aircraft in the UAE - a "step of many" towards strengthening ties with the US, including shifting some manufacturing to the US, Managing Director and CEO Hamad Al Marar said in an interview this week on the sidelines of the Dubai Airshow.
Edge hopes to broaden development and production partnerships with US giants like Raytheon, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin, Al Marar said without elaborating.
The UAE is a strong military ally of Washington, and earlier this year pledged $1.4 trillion of investment in the United States, including defence.
Defence partnerships are a focus for the current US administration and deeper ties open new business opportunities, Al Marar said.
An equity investment in Anduril, valued at $30 billion in April, is under consideration, he added.
Founded in 2019, Edge is owned by the government of Abu Dhabi. It produces weapons, drones, armoured vehicles, radios, radar systems and other military equipment, as well as technology for ships and cybersecurity.
It has an order backlog of around $21 billion, with regions such as Africa and Latin America driving growth, while targeting expansion in Europe and Southeast Asia, Al Marar said.
During the air show, it signed deals with companies from countries including Italy, the US, and sealed a $7 billion cooperation agreement with Indonesia's Republikorp to localise manufacturing there.
(Reporting by Federico Maccioni, editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
