UAE’s island-based weapons range gets an upgrade for drone practice

MILAN — The United Arab Emirates’ conglomerate Edge Group has announced the expansion of its international multi-domain testing site for weapons, aiming to boost the range’s utility in exercising drone operations.

The XRange, of which a mock-up was unveiled at the Dubai Airshow in 2023, is located southwest of Abu Dhabi on the 135-square-mile island of Abu Al Abyad, the equivalent of nearly twice the area of Washington, D.C.

The site’s expansion will include the construction of a secondary 1.2-kilometer runway to support unmanned aerial systems’ take-off and landing, two new emergency runways to boost recovery capabilities, and a new, already operational drone training facility.

Dubbed the UAS drone training village, it is designed for low-level drone testing in simulated urban environments. It enables operators to practice discerning city elements using artificial intelligence and operating first-person-view drones.

Footage released by Edge of the dedicated simulation facilities shows what appear to be dozens of large container boxes and improvised patches of grass in the desert.

Another addition will include the establishment of a vehicle blast and ballistics capability, where defense and commercial customers will be able to assess the resilience of their civilian or armored vehicles against small arms, anti-tank mines, and rocket-propelled grenades.

Extended airspace has also been introduced as part of the expansion – where clients now have access to an optional 100-kilometer x 25-kilometer air corridor west of Abu Al Abyad island, which can be cleared up to 10,000 feet, per a company press release.

According to Remaya International, Edge’s branch overseeing the venture, Xrange is the largest testing site of its kind in the Gulf region.

It is unclear whether it has attracted international defense companies beyond the region. The chief executive officer of Remaya International previously told Defense News that all the platforms in Edge’s portfolio have been trialed at the range.

For example, the company used the range to conduct the first flight of the Jeniah jet-powered drone last year. Other local manufacturers have also conducted similar tests for cargo UAVs.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

米兰——阿联酋的Edge集团宣布扩大其国际多领域武器测试场地，旨在提高该靶场在无人机作战演练中的效用。

XRange 的模型于 2023 年在迪拜航展上亮相，它位于阿布扎比西南部的阿布阿比亚德岛，该岛面积达 135 平方英里，几乎相当于华盛顿特区面积的两倍。

该基地的扩建工程将包括修建一条 1.2 公里的辅助跑道，以支持无人机系统的起降；修建两条新的应急跑道，以增强恢复能力；以及新建一座已投入运营的无人机训练设施。

该训练场被称为无人机训练村，专为在模拟城市环境中进行低空无人机测试而设计。它使操作人员能够利用人工智能和第一人称视角操控无人机，练习识别城市元素。

Edge 发布的专用模拟设施的视频显示，沙漠中似乎有数十个大型集装箱和临时搭建的草地。

另一项新增内容是建立车辆爆炸和弹道能力，国防和商业客户将能够评估其民用或装甲车辆对小型武器、反坦克地雷和火箭推进榴弹的抵抗能力。

作为扩张计划的一部分，还引入了扩展空域——根据公司新闻稿，客户现在可以选择使用阿布阿比亚德岛以西 100 公里 x 25 公里的空中走廊，该走廊的清空高度可达 10,000 英尺。

据负责该项目的 Edge 旗下分支机构 Remaya International 称，Xrange 是海湾地区同类测试基地中规模最大的。

目前尚不清楚它是否吸引了该地区以外的国际防务公司。Remaya International 的首席执行官此前曾告诉《防务新闻》，Edge 产品组合中的所有平台都已在该靶场进行过测试。

例如，该公司去年利用该测试场地进行了Jeniah喷气式无人机的首飞。其他本地制造商也对货运无人机进行了类似的测试。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。