Indra, Edge to form radar alliance amid string of cross-border deals

PARIS — Spain’s Indra and state-owned Emirati defense-technology company Edge Group agreed to form an Abu Dhabi-based joint venture that will develop and manufacture next-generation radar systems, the latest in a spate of cross-border defense deals for both companies.

The joint venture will be able to access a pipeline of orders for almost 300 sophisticated radar systems in non-NATO and non-European Union countries, the companies said in a statement on Monday. They didn’t disclose financial details.

Indra this year already concluded separate agreements with Thales and Lockheed Martin to jointly work on defense systems, as the Spanish company seeks to bolster its Defence & Security division, one of its fastest-growing businesses.

“This agreement between the two companies can create one of the world’s leading players in the field of radar technology and is a step forward in Indra’s international expansion strategy,” Indra Chairman Marc Mutra said in the statement.

The joint venture will get “prime rights” for current and future non-NATO and non-EU orders awarded to Indra, the companies said. Indra and Edge didn’t immediately reply to emailed queries regarding the deal’s financials and agreements around technology sharing.

Indra last week agreed a defense collaboration with France’s Thales, with the companies seeing joint opportunities in radar systems, cybersecurity, communication systems and simulation. Both are already partners in the Future Combat Air System project, a German-French-Spanish collaboration aimed at fielding a next-generation fighter aircraft accompanied by drones. In January, Indra and Lockheed Martin agreed to explore cooperation in areas including radars and electronic-defense systems.

For the United Arab Emirates’ Edge Group, the venture with Indra follows on the heels of last month’s joint venture with Italy’s Fincantiere to supply naval vessels to non-NATO customers , with a potential pipeline of €30 billion.

Edge in February also signed a memorandum of understanding with Turkish Aerospace to provide its payloads and sensors for integration with the latter’s products, and announced the purchase of a majority stake in Estonia-based military-robot maker Milrem Robotics, a deal that had faced an EU security review .

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the UAE in December, meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss expanding economic ties between the countries, in one of his rare foreign trips since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The UAE is Russia’s biggest trade partner in the Middle East, according to the Emirati leader.

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——西班牙的Indra公司和阿联酋国有国防科技公司Edge集团同意成立一家总部位于阿布扎比的合资企业，该合资企业将开发和制造下一代雷达系统。这是两家公司近期一系列跨境国防交易中的最新一笔。

两家公司周一在一份声明中表示，合资企业将能够获得近300套来自非北约和非欧盟国家的先进雷达系统订单。他们没有透露财务细节。

今年，Indra 已分别与泰雷兹和洛克希德·马丁公司达成协议，共同开发国防系统。这家西班牙公司希望加强其国防与安全部门，该部门是其增长最快的业务之一。

“两家公司之间的这项协议可以打造世界领先的雷达技术企业之一，也是 Indra 国际扩张战略向前迈出的一步，”Indra 董事长 Marc Mutra 在声明中表示。

两家公司表示，合资企业将获得Indra目前及未来非北约和非欧盟订单的“优先权”。Indra和Edge尚未回复有关交易财务细节和技术共享协议的电子邮件问询。

上周，印度因德拉公司与法国泰雷兹公司达成防务合作协议，双方在雷达系统、网络安全、通信系统和模拟等领域存在合作机遇。两家公司目前都是未来作战空中系统（FCA）项目的合作伙伴，该项目是由德国、法国和西班牙合作开展，旨在研发下一代战斗机及配套无人机。今年1月，因德拉公司与洛克希德·马丁公司也同意探索在雷达和电子防御系统等领域的合作。

对于阿联酋 Edge 集团而言，与 Indra 的合作紧随其后，此前该集团上个月与意大利 Fincantiere 成立了合资企业，向非北约客户供应海军舰艇，潜在项目规模达 300 亿欧元。

今年 2 月，Edge 还与土耳其航空航天公司签署了一份谅解备忘录，为其提供有效载荷和传感器，以便与后者的产品集成。此外，Edge 还宣布收购爱沙尼亚军用机器人制造商 Milrem Robotics 的多数股权，该交易曾面临欧盟的安全审查。

俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京于去年12月访问阿联酋，与阿联酋酋长穆罕默德·本·扎耶德·阿勒纳哈扬会面，讨论扩大两国经济联系。这是自2022年2月俄罗斯入侵乌克兰以来，普京为数不多的出访之一。据阿联酋领导人称，阿联酋是俄罗斯在中东最大的贸易伙伴。

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。