French aerospace company Thales is collaborating with the United Arab Emirates’ EDGE Group to support the local production and maintenance of advanced electro-optic systems. The latest partnership expands their shared commitment to developing the UAE’s sovereign defense capabilities and localizing key technologies.
Under a recently signed memorandum of understanding, Thales and EDGE’s Electro-Optic Centre of Excellence will focus efforts on several areas of interest, including maintenance of Thales’ SOPHIE portfolio of thermal imagers, local support of Thales’ XTRAIM weapon sights, and maintenance and support of Thales advanced vehicular optronics systems.
The deal was formalized in the presence of Chaouki Kasmi, president of EDGE’s Technology and Innovation division; Alexis Morel, vice president of Thales’ Optronics and Missile Electronics activities; and Abdelhafid Mordi, CEO of Thales in the UAE.
“This partnership will ensure sustained performance of our advanced optronics systems across multiple operational domains and reinforce our shared commitment to bolster the local industrial ecosystem and reinforce the UAE’s leadership in the global defense sector,” said Mordi.
Thales previously collaborated with EDGE in 2024 to explore software-defined radio technologies and long-range, high-frequency radio communication technologies.