DUBAI- Abu Dhabi state-owned defence conglomerate EDGE will announce several new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) next year, its chief executive said on Monday.

"I think by early next year ... you will see us announcing a number of UAV platforms," Faisal al-Bannai told an online summit, without disclosing further details.

Autonomous capabilities, including drones, were a "strategic need" for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), he said.

Abu Dhabi formed EDGE in late 2019, grouping together more than 25 state-owned and private entities in the UAE defence sector with a combined annual revenue of $5 billion.

(Writing by Alexander Cornwell; editing by Jason Neely) ((Alexander.Cornwell@thomsonreuters.com;))