Abu Dhabi-UAE. EDGE Group entity, HALCON, a regional leader in the production and supply of precision-guided weapons, has won an AED3.2 billion (US$880 million) contract from the UAE Armed Forces for its Thunder and Desert Sting range of precision guided munitions.
The Thunder range consists of different variants of aerial munitions (distinguished by weight and warhead size) all based on the same technology building blocks. It is a cost-effective, short-range system that combines an inertial measurement unit and global navigational satellite system measurements to guide it to pre-programmed target coordinates. A semi-active laser seeker can optionally be fitted to enhance precision.
Desert Sting is a light weight guided weapon with a custom designed warhead that operates with a HALCON-designed stores interface unit (SIU) and can be deployed on multiple weapon (2 or 4) racks on aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles – independent of the level of integration with the aircraft.
The contract confirms the combat proven capabilities of HALCON’s family of guided weapons, having achieved the rigorous requirements demanded from the UAE Armed Forces.
Saeed Al Mansoori, CEO of HALCON, said: “At AED3.2 billion, this is a significant contract on a global scale for this type of weapons system. It is with a great sense of responsibility for having been entrusted with this undertaking that we move ahead in confidence that the performance of our systems will fully justify the UAE Armed Forces trust in us.”
HALCON now boasts autonomous technology capabilities in areas including guidance and control, navigation, aerodynamic design, weapon flight control computers, warheads, and servo systems. Most significantly, it has also boosted its capacity in fuze manufacturing compatible with the Mk81, Mk82, and Mk83 series of aerial munitions.
LAHAB, a sister EDGE company, is charged with filling the Desert Sting warhead, which is manufactured in the HALCON production facilities at Tawazun Industrial Park, in Abu Dhabi.
HALCON is part of the Missiles & Weapons cluster within EDGE, an advanced technology group for defence and beyond that ranks among the top 25 military suppliers in the world.
