UAE and U.S. forge AI-powered drone alliance amid growing military tech race with Iran and China

By kevinhughes // 2025-11-14

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Anduril Industries (U.S.) and EDGE Group (UAE) formed a joint venture to develop AI-powered autonomous drones in Abu Dhabi. This strengthens military-tech collaboration amid rising threats from Iran and China, while expanding UAE-Israel ties under the Abraham Accords.
A midsize, AI-driven VTOL drone designed for military and civilian use, disrupting maritime patrol and special mission operations. UAE committed to purchasing the first 50 units, with production based in a new Abu Dhabi R&D facility.
EDGE gains access to Anduril's Lattice AI system, enabling synchronized drone swarms for autonomous, coordinated missions. Enhances situational awareness and tactical flexibility, positioning the UAE as a leader in AI warfare technology.
EDGE and UAE MoD launched the Drone Challenge to cultivate local AI expertise in drone programming. Aligns with UAE's "Principles of the 50," prioritizing AI and cybersecurity skills for national defense.
UAE's push mirrors competition with China, Russia and Iran, which are advancing hypersonic and autonomous weapons. Ethical concerns arise over AI's role in warfare—whether it reduces casualties or escalates conflicts unpredictably.

In a strategic move that underscores the deepening military-tech collaboration between the United States and the United Arab Emirates, defense giants Anduril Industries and EDGE Group have announced a landmark joint venture to develop AI-powered autonomous drones in Abu Dhabi. The partnership, solidified during U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to the UAE earlier this year, marks a significant leap in the Emirates' push to establish itself as a hub for next-generation warfare technology—while simultaneously expanding its military cooperation with Israel and positioning itself against rising threats from Iran and China. "Autonomous drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), are aircraft that can fly and perform tasks without the need for a human pilot on board. They are equipped with advanced technologies such as sensors, cameras and AI algorithms that enable them to navigate, make decisions and operate independently," BrightU.AI's Enoch said. "Autonomous drones represent a significant technological advancement with numerous potential applications. However, they also raise important challenges and ethical considerations that must be addressed to ensure their safe and responsible use."

The Omen drone: A new era of AI warfare

The centerpiece of the collaboration is the "Omen" drone, a midsize, tail-sitter autonomous aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), blending helicopter agility with fixed-wing speed and range. Designed for both military and civilian applications, the Omen is engineered to disrupt traditional maritime patrol and special mission aircraft operations. "This is about disrupting current maritime patrol, special mission aircraft—much bigger systems. That's what we’re going after," said Anduril Senior Vice President Shane Arnott. The UAE has already committed to purchasing the first 50 units, ensuring a stable production pipeline for the new Abu Dhabi-based facility—a 50,000-square-foot R&D center that will serve as Anduril's first major operational hub outside the U.S., United Kingdom and Australia.

AI-driven battlefield dominance

A critical component of the partnership is EDGE's access to Anduril's Lattice AI system, an advanced command-and-control platform enabling synchronized drone swarms to operate autonomously in coordinated missions. This "3D command and control center" promises to revolutionize aerial warfare by providing militaries with unprecedented situational awareness and tactical flexibility. "This joint venture gives us the basis for trusted production in the Middle East, as well as allowing us to build some of those systems that get developed as part of this partnership in the United States for our U.S. customers," Arnott added.

Deepening U.S.-UAE-Israel defense nexus

The collaboration builds on the UAE's growing defense ties with Israel, formalized under the Abraham Accords brokered by the Trump administration in 2020. EDGE already holds stakes in Israeli defense contractors like Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), while Abu Dhabi has welcomed offices from firms such as Bayt Systems and Third Eye Systems. Satellite imagery reveals an expanding network of Emirati-Israeli military and intelligence installations near Yemen—a strategic foothold that underscores the region's escalating tensions with Iran. In April, Iran successfully overwhelmed Israel's Iron Dome with a swarm of drones, exposing vulnerabilities in Western defense systems and accelerating the demand for AI-driven countermeasures.

Training Emirati talent for the AI arms race

Parallel to the drone venture, EDGE and the UAE Ministry of Defense (MoD) have launched the Drone Challenge, an initiative aimed at cultivating Emirati expertise in AI-powered drone programming. Set to take place at UMEX 2026, the competition invites citizens aged 18 and above to develop secure, innovative AI solutions for unmanned systems. "This initiative embodies the shared vision of EDGE and the MoD to invest in national human capital," EDGE stated, aligning with the UAE's "Principles of the 50"—a government strategy prioritizing advanced skills in AI and cybersecurity.

A global AI arms race intensifies

The UAE's aggressive push into AI-driven defense comes amid rising competition with China and Russia, both of which are outpacing the U.S. in hypersonic and autonomous weapons development. Meanwhile, Iran's advances in drone and electronic warfare have proven disruptive, as seen in its recent strike against Israel. For Anduril—founded by Palmer Luckey, the tech billionaire behind Oculus VR—the UAE partnership represents a strategic foothold in the Middle East. Troy Lambeth, senior vice president of Edge, said the partnership brings together two of the most disruptive defense corporations globally with a shared ambition to co-develop the primary platform of Omen.

The future of warfare: AI vs. human command

As militaries worldwide race to integrate AI into combat systems, ethical and strategic questions loom. Will autonomous drones reduce human casualties—or escalate conflicts with unpredictable consequences? And as the UAE positions itself as a leader in AI warfare, will it leverage these technologies for regional stability—or further entrench itself in the global arms trade? The age of AI-powered warfare has arrived, and the UAE is determined to be at its forefront. Watch the video below about China unveiling a cutting-edge AI-powered attack drone. This video is from Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: TheCradle.co BrightU.ai Zawya.com KhaleejTimes.com TheNationalnews.com Brighteon.com