The Reach-S tactical UAS has been developed in the UAE.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has placed an order with Abu Dhabi-headquartered Edge Group for its locally developed Reach-S tactical uncrewed air system (UAS).
The UAE military will purchase 100 Reach-S aircraft, Edge announced Nov. 16 on the fourth day of the Dubai Airshow.
The order will further bolster the UAE military’s already sizable fleet of UAS, which includes platforms acquired from China, Turkey and the U.S. It is the military’s first such deal for a locally developed, fixed-wing UAS.
Reach-S, which bears a similarity to the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 with its twin-boom configuration, has a maximum takeoff weight of 640 kg (1,410 lb.), a payload capacity of 120 kg and an endurance of 24 hr., Edge says.
Edge, which was formed by consolidating several UAE defense companies, says its Advanced Concepts business unit was involved in the development of the platform. Faisal Al-Bannai, Edge’s chairman, told Aerospace DAILY earlier at the Dubai Airshow that the platform had gone from first development sketches to dropping live munitions in just 36 months. With the order in place, Edge’s Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investments will oversee the production of the aircraft and deliver the contract to the UAE armed forces.
Officials say the aircraft has completed two flight tests and now begun a weapons release campaign using the company’s Desert Sting munition. The next step is to perform a long-endurance flight.
“The development of the Reach-S, one of the first locally made medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles, marks a significant milestone for Edge,” said Saeed Al Mansoori, senior vice president of Edge’s Advanced Concepts business.
Once in service, Reach-S will likely be armed with lightweight munitions also developed by the group. Other features of the platform include an automated takeoff and landing system and a line-of-sight control system.
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