MBDA opens missile engineering center in UAE, first outside Europe

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Leaders of MBDA and Tawazun celebrate the opening of the UAE’s new missile center. (Duowa Zun)

Beirut – Considering Indigenous Missile Production, European Missile Producer Giants MBDA The company announced today that it has opened a missile engineering center in Abu Dhabi, the first of its kind outside Europe.

The center will be staffed by Tawazun Technology Innovation According to a statement from the company, it is jointly developing a “next-generation smart weapon family” with MBDA. Analysts said the announcement could significantly boost the UAE’s domestic missile production capabilities and its technical know-how.

“Opening a missile engineering center in the UAE is exactly the kind of partnership that UAE leaders are looking for in developing and deepening long-term ties, which contribute to research localization, job creation and technology transfer, all of which support strategic economic diversification,” Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a Middle East fellow at the Baker Institute at Rice University, told Breaking Defense.

He added that the center could facilitate and accelerate missile production in the UAE and further establish the UAE at the forefront of defense production in the Gulf.

“This inauguration is an important milestone for us at MBDA and speaks to the importance of our local presence and collaboration with our partners, Tawazun Council. It is a symbol of what the Commission has achieved, our aim to make our cooperation a win-win in the long run, and a symbol of our engagement in the region,” said Eric Béranger, MBDA CEO, in a statement.

related: UAE’s Tawazun and MBDA to develop SmartGlider missile

According to the company’s statement, the center is expected to strengthen the UAE’s sovereign capabilities and defense production.

Tareq Al Hosani, Secretary-General of the Tawazun Council, said in a statement: “The center represents our commitment to promoting the development of the UAE’s defense industry. The Missile Engineering Center is a testament to the successful cooperation between the Tawazun Council and MBDA and it symbolizes our A common vision of long-term cooperation and common development in the region.”

Mohammad Baharon, managing director of B’huth, a public policy research center in Dubai, said the deal fits with the UAE’s goal of gaining technological know-how through partnerships with foreign companies.

“Knowledge transfer and production is the name of the game. This agreement will allow European countries and the UAE to cross a new threshold. Space and climate change are already forming co-developments. It should also happen in defense. If technology contributes, then its investment is flawed,” Baharoon told Breaking Defense.

Under its Vision 2030 plan, Abu Dhabi strives to localize domestic defense production, pushing international defense companies to enter into joint ventures with the UAE defense conglomerate Edge Group, or to partner with Tawazun Council for development and intellectual property production.

“By establishing a local center dedicated to missile engineering, the UAE can gain greater strategic autonomy. This will allow the country to control the development, production and customization of missile systems according to its specific needs and requirements,” said TRENDS Research and Consulting Kristian Alexander, a senior fellow and head of strategic research at the think tank UAE, told Breaking Defense.

He added that developing strong missile engineering capabilities could enhance the UAE’s regional influence in defense and security. “This will allow the country to deliver advanced missile systems to regional partners, strengthening diplomatic and military ties,” Alexander said.

Asked whether missiles developed at the center would compete with those produced by the UAE-based Edge Group, Alexander noted that the new agreement, which focuses on weapons that are “very different” from Edge, could serve as a “complementary” agreement.

“In this case, the two entities can work in parallel, using their respective expertise to develop various missile systems for different needs,” Alexander said.

He foresees that in this context, there may be opportunities for collaboration between the Missile Engineering Center and the Edge subsidiary, as well as between the two UAE entities, to share knowledge, expertise and resources to accelerate the development of advanced missile technologies.

“Collaboration can lead to synergies, cost-sharing, and the ability to leverage each other’s strengths to develop more advanced and effective missile systems,” Alexander stressed.

This, he concluded, could lead to competition if they were targeting the same market. “However, healthy competition can also drive innovation and technological progress,” concluded Alexander.