Northrop Grumman, the US defence contractor, is linking with an Abu Dhabi technology firm to investigate jointly developing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The move could help the emirate transfer technology and know-how of unmanned systems from one of the world's leading producers as part of its aims to develop a home-grown aerospace industry.
Northrop has signed a "proprietary information exchange" agreement with Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investment (ADASI), said Tom Rodabaugh, the Middle East vice president of Northrop Grumman.
"We will work together and collaborate on a [UAV] system," he said. "It's very possible this would be useful in developing a local variant that would be modified to fit the needs of local forces."
Mr Rodabaugh added that if the UAE bought an unmanned system from Northrop through a direct military sale, "then we would like to have the ability to expand on that with local industry".
Officials from ADASI declined to comment today.
The first unmanned aircraft concept was developed in 1918 by the US army to travel across enemy lines during the First World War, but really gathered momentum in the late 1990s when used for high-altitude surveillance in Afghanistan.
Unmanned systems, which give governments and their armed forces an "unblinking eye" in the sky, are expected to become more popular in the Gulf. They fulfil a variety of roles, from border protection and maritime surveillance to anti-mine and submarine measures, chemical detection and climate research.
The global industry could double in the next 10 years to US$8.7 billion (Dh31.95bn), according to estimates by the Teal Group, a US defence analysis firm. The US accounted for 61 per cent of procurement spending in the sector, Teal said.
Northrop has been involved in unmanned aircraft since the 1940s and also produces the Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance UAV, and the UCAS strike aircraft, which resembles a Stealth fighter.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia are among 16 nations that have expressed interest in Northrop's Fire Scout, an autonomous, unmanned helicopter that carries sophisticated sensors ranging from infrared, near-real-time digital video, radar and chemical detection. It has a flying range of up to 10 hours and could cut operational costs due to the lack of pilots and lower maintenance needs, Northrop said.
Next month, the US navy will begin testing the Fire Scout during an "operational evaluation" aboard a US frigate, with full operations expected by the end of the year. The US army, meanwhile, plans to introduce the Fire Scout in 2015, one of two UAVs approved in a sweeping modernisation programme with a "networked system of systems" at its core.
ADASI, which was renamed in February after starting up in 2007 as Abu Dhabi Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Investment, is also interested in developing unmanned systems for land and sea. The company is a unit of Tawazun Holding, which is a development arm of the Government's Offset Programme Bureau.
The company is one of two Abu Dhabi firms developing unmanned systems. From its factory in Musaffah, ADCOM has produced UAVs for 15 years, including its Smart Eye which is used by the Armed Forces.
By Ivan Gale
© The National 2009
