EDGE Partners with L3Harris to Propel UAE Defence Tech with AI Breakthroughs

EDGE Group has taken another steady step in its push to position the UAE as a heavyweight in defence technology, this time signing a Memorandum of Understanding with US-based L3Harris Technologies. The agreement, announced in Abu Dhabi, sets the stage for both sides to work together on new defence solutions, particularly around artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. It’s not hard to see why this matters; the region is moving fast on advanced tech, and partnerships like this tend to shape entire ecosystems.

The two companies plan to explore national and regional opportunities side by side, using the MoU as a guide for joint research and development. Hamad Al Marar, Managing Director and CEO of EDGE Group, said the collaboration with L3Harris will help strengthen progress on EDGE’s product roadmap, especially in areas where the group has been ramping up quickly. He described it as a mutually beneficial relationship that should support the delivery of “breakthrough solutions” for customers globally.

Christopher Kubasik, Chair and CEO of L3Harris, echoed that sentiment, calling partnerships a core part of the company’s strategy. He said EDGE fits the profile of the kind of “disruptive innovator” they want to work with, and believes the alliance will speed up the development of advanced technologies the UAE needs to face emerging threats.

L3Harris isn’t new to the Emirates. The company has been supplying defence capabilities to customers in the UAE for more than 35 years and already maintains a corporate office in Abu Dhabi. That said, this new agreement gives it a clearer foothold as defence players in the region look for technologies that actually deliver rather than just make noise.

Whenever I see these kinds of collaborations, I’m reminded of a founder I once chatted with at an Arageek community event in Dubai. He joked that finding the right partner in defence tech is “like trying to fix a plane mid-flight — doable, but a bit of a faff.” And he wasn’t wrong. Deals like this often determine whether innovation moves at full throttle or gets tangled in red tape. I reckon this one has the potential to land on the right side of that line.

EDGE itself has grown remarkably since launching in 2019. It now pulls together more than 35 entities under clusters ranging from missiles and weapons to space, cyber technologies and homeland security. The focus has always been on Fourth Industrial Revolution tools — think robotics, autonomous systems, cyber-physical tech and smart materials — all with the aim of boosting sovereign capability and exporting competitive products. On the flip side, that huge scope means expectations are sky-high… which can be tricky to manage, you know?

Even so, there’s something spot on about seeing global players betting more heavily on the UAE. The country has worked hard to build a reputation as a hub for innovation, and collaborations like this show that momentum isn’t slowing down. And believe it or not, amidst all the polished statements and strategic jargon, it’s often the quieter groundwork — teams working late, labs tweaking code, the odd caffine-fuelled sprint — that makes the real difference.

In any case, this MoU sets up both sides to push deeper into AI-driven defence capabilities. How quickly that turns into deployed systems is another question, but for now, both EDGE and L3Harris sound chuffed to bits about the road ahead.

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