United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Edge Group has cut metal for the first operationally representative Jeniah uncrewed combat air vehicle (UCAV), with an aim for service entry by decade's end.

Edge Group stood up several efforts this year, after the outbreak of hostilities in the Gulf this year, to help the UAE counter Iranian drones and other related threats.

Edge Group’s Ramaya unit plans to add a supersonic test track and other capabilities at its XRange facility in the UAE to attract more international business.

Powertech is gearing up to begin flight trials of its PJ120 turbojet missile and drone engine, with efforts to scale production already underway.

DAE will finish its $9 billion Macquarie Air Finance integration by late November, targeting a 1,300-aircraft fleet within five years.

Edge Group’s Dark Wing cruise missile is entering production, with the first delivery of the weapons to take place within the next couple months.

Edge Group’s Fada space unit has completed the system-level critical design review for its synthetic aperture radar satellite as the company looks to launch the spacecraft in 2028.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

Appointments and promotions in the business aviation and AAM industry.

Appointments and promotions in the business aviation and AAM industry.

France and the United Arab Emirates are joining forces to field an enhanced version of the Dassault Aviation Rafale fighter.

Lija Wierieszczinskaja has been appointed commercial head of DC Aviation Al-Futtaim, and appointments at Omni Aircraft Management, RoyalJet, and more.

Saab rolls out Sweden’s first of three GlobalEye AEW aircraft, with deliveries set for 2027, as the company scales production to meet surging global demand.

FL Technics LLC has expanded its line maintenance approvals to cover four modern airliners to establish an MRO network spanning the Middle East and Africa.

Bahrain's GFH has joined an engine leasing venture headed by Bridgepoint and AIP Capital that plans to build a commercial engine leasing portfolio valued at over $1 billion.

The UAE is completing tests on its locally built probe that will launch in 2028 with the aim to land on asteroid 269 Justitia in 2034.

News about 5X5 Aviation, Mostavio, Surf Air and more.

Skyports and Ras Al Khaimah Transport Authority signed an agreement to develop a four-vertiport network in the emirate, with commercial services launching in Q3 2027.

XPeng’s flying car affiliate Aridge has secured a place in a United Arab Emirates regulatory sandbox, its first national-level testing framework outside of China.

The United Arab Emirates’s Edge Group is deepening its ties with South Korea's Hanwha to meet local needs for air defense and strike.

Algeria bans UAE aircraft from its airspace, citing diplomatic tensions, with limited exceptions for flights to Algiers International Airport until the end of the year.

For more information about Aviation Week Intelligence Network’s (AWIN) 2026 Military Fleet & MRO Forecast and other Aviation Week data products, please see: https://pgs.aviationweek.com/forecast

The European Cockpit Association is urging Germany to reject additional UAE airline traffic rights without stronger fair-competition safeguards.

Airports across Africa and Arabia are building aviation’s next operating system, fit for the digital-native traveler. But progress is far from even.

Emirates Airline President Tim Clark says the airline’s owners are “absolutely determined” to continue as normal despite the restart of the Iran war.