The company said EDGE Europe is based on technology-first industrialisation, rapid development and an open, partner-driven ecosystem. It said the model is designed to deliver sovereign capability faster than traditional industry structures allow.
EDGE Europe’s operational presence in France is anchored by two sites. The first is a strategic head office in the Chaillot neighbourhood of central Paris, while the second is an engineering and manufacturing hub in Bordeaux.
The Paris office will focus on government engagement, partnerships and investment across Europe. The Bordeaux site will support design, integration and the rapid development of advanced systems.
EDGE said Bordeaux is located at the centre of France’s aerospace and defence-industrial base. The company said the area provides access to supply chains in propulsion, composites and avionics, as well as specialist engineering talent from universities and research institutions.
“Europe stands at a defining moment for its defence, and EDGE has come to be part of its future,” said H.E. Faisal Al Bannai, Chairman of EDGE Group. “We are here to invest in its talent, build alongside its industry, and create lasting capability on European soil.”
“The defence capabilities that matter most in the decade ahead will be built by those bold enough to do things differently, with the speed and ambition this era demands,” Al Bannai said. “EDGE Europe pairs the speed of a new generation of defence company with the depth of an established industrial group, and we build hand in hand with our partners.”
“This is the model Europe’s defence needs next, and we intend to drive it here,” Al Bannai said. EDGE said the new company will work with partners across the continent rather than compete with European industry.
“Over decades, the UAE and France have built a partnership of enduring strength,” Al Bannai added. “Choosing Paris for the headquarters of EDGE Europe is a deliberate mark of that bond, and we are determined to forge partnerships of the same strength right across the continent.”
EDGE said it brings a broad range of defence capabilities to Europe. These include autonomous systems, air, naval and ground platforms, propulsion, artificial intelligence, electronic warfare, sensors and communications.
The company said these capabilities are integrated under a single strategic vision. It said this gives EDGE Europe the ability to deliver connected, multi-domain capability for modern defence requirements.
EDGE Europe will work with established defence primes, emerging defence technology companies, universities and research centres. The company said it will integrate capability and invest where it can accelerate results and strengthen European industry.
The company also plans to recruit and develop European talent. EDGE said it aims to create high-skilled engineering and industrial roles and build technology on European soil for customers in the region and beyond.
EDGE said its European ambitions are supported by a growing industrial base across the region. This includes major stakes in Milrem Robotics in Estonia, Anavia in Switzerland and Flaris in Poland, as well as the planned acquisition of CMD in Italy.
The group also cited joint ventures with Fincantieri and Indra Sistemas and strategic partnerships with Leonardo and Safran. EDGE said these activities span autonomous systems, propulsion, and air and naval domains, strengthening European supply chains and supporting sovereign access to critical capability.
EDGE was launched in November 2019 and is headquartered in Abu Dhabi. The group consolidates more than 35 entities across five core clusters: Platforms & Systems, Missiles & Weapons, Space & Cyber Technologies, Technologies & Industrialisation, and Homeland Security.
