MBDA’s planned Emirati subsidiary will focus on missiles, loitering munitions: Exec

DUBAI AIRSHOW — European missile defense giant MBDA plans to open a new wholly-owned subsidiary in the United Arab Emirates, a first for the firm outside Europe, which will develop loitering munitions and missiles, according to a company executive.

“It’s the first time that we [will] open [a] wholly owned subsidiary outside Europe, though comparing the landing company to a domestic, national company is too early, because it needs to grow,” Patrice Hajjar, MBDA’s vice president for the Middle East, told reporters today in a briefing.

The “objective” of the future company, which Hajjar said would likely be established next year, is to “really increase our presence in the Middle East, leveraging on the local capability, industrial capability, which is really mature in the UAE, and cooperating with other stakeholders like [UAE defense firms] EDGE Group and Calidus, for integration of some of our system on [their] platforms,” he said.

MBDA mentioned the “future establishment of MBDA UAE” in a press release Tuesday, saying the move would also “consolidat[e] MBDA’s position as a long-term industrial partner of the UAE.”

MBDA and Hajjar credited the UAE’s Tawazun Council for supporting the move. Tawazun Council a governmental entity that essentially fills the role of defense contractor. The entity operates Tawazun Industrial Park (TIP) where research and development operations with international firms take place to produce UAE national intellectual property for defense platforms.

MBDA already has a Missile Engineering Center in the UAE, and Hajjar said the new subsidiary will absorb that entity when it’s up and running, as well as other MBDA projects in the country.

Hajjar said that MBDA is also working with French thermal battery manufacturer ASB Group to launch a thermal battery factory in the UAE. Thermal batteries provide high power needed for rocket and missile operations.

“It’s a key component of missiles. You have in a missile, like four to five batteries for the seeker, for the computer and so on. And ASB is a world leader,” he said. “So we are bringing here in UAE, our main supplier, internal battery for production facility from A to Z, in order to also build up together with our partner, strong industrial base and a key component of missile, for instance, for smart weapons.”

Hajjar spoke to reporters from the MBDA stand at the Dubai Airshow, where a black, diamond-shaped loitering munition was on display. The weapon was codeveloped with Tawazun in the Missile Excellence Center.

“I would say so, technology maturity, which is quite high, and it needs to be, we need to finalize the development,” Hajjar said. “We have already done demonstration flights, and it requires another two years, because it’s not only the development, [it’s] is also adding local content. So we have the objective to investigate, for with the supply chain, local supply chain, what can be added in the concept and design of this.”