MBDA Deepens Partnerships in UAE

Our Bureau - : Nov 17, 2025 - : 6:41 am

MBDA is returning to Dubai Airshow 2025 and using this year’s event to highlight its expanding partnerships across the Middle East—particularly its long-standing relationship with the United Arab Emirates, now entering its fifth decade.

MBDA has become a trusted partner to the region’s defence ecosystem over the years, working closely with local stakeholders to advance capability development, transfer technology and support joint projects.

The centrepiece of this strategic cooperation is the Missile Engineering Centre (MEC) created in partnership with the Tawazun Council. Opened in 2023, the MEC is MBDA’s first engineering centre outside Europe and represents a major milestone in the UAE’s journey toward developing indigenous advanced weapon systems. The MEC is focused on the design and development of the next generation of smart weapons, delivering high levels of local content and reinforcing the nation’s sovereign capabilities.

At the ongoing airshow MBDA is presenting its SMART family of weapons, the first systems to be designed, developed and produced at the MEC. These compact, intelligent air-to-ground effectors—SMART CRUISER and SMART GLIDER—feature AI-enabled collaborative and swarming engagement capabilities. Both will be co-produced with Tawazun Council and local industry partners.

Across its stand, MBDA is presenting a diverse suite of systems engineered to address the rapidly changing threat landscape:

Air Dominance
• SMART CRUISER & SMART GLIDER – Collaborative, AI-enabled effectors designed for precision strike and swarm tactics.
• METEOR – MBDA’s flagship beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, redefining air combat with its long-range interception performance.

Effectors & Loitering Munitions
• Diamond Shaped Loitering Munition – Tailored for the Middle East, offering high-precision strike capability against critical targets.
• AKERON RCX – Advanced loitering system.
• ONE WAY EFFECTOR (OWE) – Debuted at Paris Air Show 2025, designed to provide scalable mass and cost-effective performance for high-intensity operations.

Ground-Based Air Defence (GBAD)
• SKY WARDEN – A comprehensive counter-UAV solution able to counter everything from micro-drones to tactical UAVs and loitering munitions.
• MISTRAL ATLAS RC – Using the MISTRAL 3 missile for manoeuvrable short-range defence.
• HELMA-P – High-energy laser system for multiple applications, developed by CILAS, in which MBDA holds a majority stake.

MBDA is also showing a full spectrum of GBAD systems:
• ASTER B1NT – The newest generation of the long-range missile family, supporting European armed forces beyond 2060.
• VL MICA NG – A 360° medium-range system optimised for low-signature and saturation threats, including cruise missiles.
• CAMM-ER – Extended-range variant of the CAMM family, offering protection against current and next-generation aerial threats.

Battlefield Missions
• AKERON family – Fifth-generation multi-purpose combat missiles for land and naval operations.
• Enforcer – Shoulder-launched guided weapon for precise engagements beyond unguided weapon range.

MBDA is also dedicating stand space to highlight the company’s growing integration of artificial intelligence across its value chain—from guidance and seeker technologies to C2 systems and the collaborative weapons capability Orchestrike. All developments follow the company’s stringent “ethics by design” principles.

By deepening industrial ties with the UAE and showcasing technologies co-developed with local partners, the company continues to shape the region’s defence landscape while positioning itself at the forefront of next-generation weapons development.