EDGE and Thales sign MoU to boost local maintenance of optronic systems in UAE

The MoU will see EDGE’s Electro-Optic Centre of Excellence (EOCE) and Thales collaborate to develop dedicated capabilities for maintaining a range of Thales’ optronic systems currently in service with the UAE Armed Forces. These include hand-held thermal imagers, weapon sights, and electro-optic vehicular cameras.

Specifically, the cooperation aims to localise maintenance for the SOPHIE family of thermal imagers, used by ground forces for high-performance detection and identification. It also covers support for the XTRAIM weapon sights, which integrate red dot sighting with thermal imaging, and vehicular optronics systems that improve armoured platform awareness and targeting.

The agreement was signed by Dr. Chaouki Kasmi, President of Technology and Innovation at EDGE, Alexis Morel, Vice-President of Optronics and Missile Electronics at Thales, and Abdelhafid Mordi, CEO of Thales in the UAE. The ceremony was attended by senior executives including Hamad Al Marar, Managing Director and CEO of EDGE, Patrice Caine, Chairman and CEO of Thales Group, and Pascale Sourisse, President of Thales International.

Dr. Chaouki Kasmi commented: “This MoU marks another important step in our journey to strengthen local defence capabilities through industrial partnerships. Together with Thales, EDGE is taking a significant step towards enabling unique and centralised maintenance capabilities for mission-critical electro-optical systems.”

Abdelhafid Mordi added: “We are proud to deepen our collaboration with EDGE and contribute to the UAE’s strategic vision for localised defence readiness. 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 defence sector.”