The UAE’s EDGE and Italy’s Leonardo plan to establish a joint venture focused on advanced defense sensors and mission systems.
The planned venture will develop, manufacture, support, and market a range of defense technologies, including airborne radars for future stealth aircraft, the Kronos Grand Mobile High-Power radar, combat management systems, and multi-mission aircraft sensors.
This deal targets a projected order pipeline of more than 4 billion euros ($4.5 billion) over the next five years, according to EDGE.
Beyond sensors, the joint venture will serve as a commercial platform for promoting the M-346 fighter and trainer aircraft in international markets.
“Leonardo brings decades of engineering excellence in radar and combat management, while we bring the industrial scale, agility and market access to get that technology to customers faster,” EDGE CEO Hamad Al Marar said.
Defense Sensor Partnerships
The planned venture is the latest in a series of partnerships pursued to strengthen the defense electronics and sensor market.
In June, Safran Electronics & Defense and Theon announced a joint venture to accelerate the development of sensors for military drone applications.
The move followed a May agreement between Safran and Turkey’s Baykar to expand cooperation on drone sensors, navigation technologies, and guided weapon integration for unmanned platforms.
Earlier, in September 2025, defense companies from Japan, the UK, and Italy formed a consortium to develop the sensing and communications systems for the Global Combat Air Programme, the trilateral effort to build a next-generation combat aircraft.
