Abu Dhabi, UAE: XRANGE, an Abu Dhabi-based international multi-domain Training, Test & Evaluation (TT&E) facility for defence, aerospace and commercial customers, and operated by REMAYA, today announced the expansion of its capabilities to better serve its clients. Among the significant capacity reinforcements include a secondary runway, two emergency runways, an environmental test centre, an unmanned aerial systems (UAS) Drone Training Village, and expanded airspace for customer operations. Additionally, the introduction of a data acquisition systems facility and an upcoming vehicle blast and ballistics test service will further complement XRANGE’s testing capabilities.
Speaking on the upgrades, Haitham Awinat, Chief Executive Officer of REMAYA, said: “XRANGE was designed to push the boundaries of what is possible in terms of conducting critical TT&E activities in the UAE. While significantly boosting our operational flexibility, these enhancements allow our clients to expedite their product development processes and accelerate the delivery of their solutions to market.”
The new 1.2 km graded asphalt secondary runway at Abu Al Abyad Airfield is designed to support developmental UAS operations, enhancing the efficiency of the existing primary 3.8 km runway. The new runway doubles the test island’s capacity to hold simultaneous flight operations for the conventional take-off and landing of UAVs while enhancing overall operational flexibility.
Additionally, two 800 m emergency runways boost recovery capabilities, ensuring safe extraction of UAS systems during in-flight contingencies while keeping both main runways accessible for other customers.
Further boosting XRANGE’s test facilities, clients can now undertake component level environmental testing using electrodynamic shaker tables, temperature and humidity conditioning chambers, and drop-testing for up to 40 kg of developmental high explosives (HE).
XRANGE has recently completed its UAS Drone Training Village, designed to support low-level UAS testing in simulated urban environments. This facility enables AI training to recognise urban elements as well as first-person-view (FPV) training for drone operators.
XRANGE has also introduced extended airspace access via a NOTAM Extension. In collaboration with Al Dhafra Air Operations Centre (AOC), Range Control now provides clients an optional 100 km x 25 km air corridor west of Abu Al Abyad Island, which can be cleared up to 10,000 ft.
Expanding its multi-domain services, XRANGE has launched a suite of ruggedised sensors which can be installed on test platforms. Developed to capture crucial data on parameters such as noise, vibration, shock, and blast pressure, these sensors support UAS trials across multiple systems including UAVs, land vehicles, maritime, and weapon systems. The aggregated data provides customers with reliable insights to inform evidence-based decisions in platform development.
XRANGE is developing a Vehicle Blast and Ballistics testing capability to assess the resilience of civilian or military armoured vehicles to withstand a variety of threats such as small arms, grenades, rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), anti-personnel, and anti-tank mines. This service will be conducted in compliance with International Test Standards such as STANAG-4569, a key military standard that defines protection levels, threats, and testing methodologies for armoured vehicles.
