UAE’s Edge Group takes over Swiss unmanned helicopter maker Anavia

MILAN — The Emirati conglomerate Edge Group has acquired a majority stake in the Swiss unmanned helicopter company Anavia, weeks before Swiss authorities are expected consider legislation that would likely subject such takeovers to federal scrutiny on national security grounds.

Announced a week ahead of the Dubai Air Show, the acquisition is aimed at expanding Edge’s portfolio and supply chains of autonomous aerial vehicles. The Anavia deal will allow the Abu Dhabi-based group to “benefit from Anavia’s experience in the development of advanced unmanned helicopters,” the two companies declared on Nov. 6.

“Together with Edge, we are poised to redefine the possibilities in this field … to meet the evolving demands of both military and civilian sectors, and there is great potential here as we explore these synergies together,” Jon Andri Jörg, founder and co-CEO of Anavia, said in a statement.

Anavia is a Switzerland-based manufacturer specialized on large unmanned cargo helicopters with a weight of up to to 750 kilograms. Its flagship product, unveiled in 2021, is the HT-100 drone. According to the manufacturer, the aircraft is capable of transporting up to 65kg (143 lbs) of payload and flying for over four hours.

Company officials have hinted that they are already working to expand these capabilities.

“We have plans to develop the HT-100 further for even more payloads. That will be a faster development project we will talk about very soon,” an Edge spokesperson told Defense News. “Production will remain in Switzerland with some components built in the UAE.”

Left unmentioned in the takeover announcement was Switzerland’s ongoing pursuit of a new foreign investment screening regime. In 2021, after the adoption of a motion to better protect the national economy, the Swiss Federal Council was tasked to draft preliminary legislation to that effect.

Following a lengthy consultation process to review the proposed law, a majority of decision makers opposed its introduction, arguing that it would weaken Switzerland’s attractiveness as an investment hub.

The compromise reached was that the bill should be revised, with the scope limited to certain business sectors. Hence, the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education, and Research was tasked to produce an amended draft before the end of 2023.

The main proposal of the new legislation is expected to be that only foreign state-controlled investors taking over Swiss companies operating in critical sectors, such as defense equipment, will be subject to a screening.

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——阿联酋企业集团 Edge Group 收购了瑞士无人直升机公司 Anavia 的多数股权。几周后，瑞士当局预计将审议一项立法，该立法可能会以国家安全为由，对这类收购行为进行联邦审查。

在迪拜航展前一周宣布的这项收购旨在拓展Edge公司的自主飞行器产品组合和供应链。两家公司于11月6日宣布，此次与Anavia的交易将使这家总部位于阿布扎比的集团“受益于Anavia在先进无人直升机开发方面的经验”。

“我们与 Edge 携手，准备重新定义该领域的可能性……以满足军事和民用领域不断变化的需求，当我们共同探索这些协同效应时，这里蕴藏着巨大的潜力，”Anavia 的创始人兼联合首席执行官 Jon Andri Jörg 在一份声明中表示。

Anavia是一家总部位于瑞士的制造商，专门生产重量可达750公斤的大型无人货运直升机。其旗舰产品HT-100无人机于2021年发布。据制造商称，该无人机能够运输高达65公斤（143磅）的有效载荷，并能飞行超过四个小时。

公司官员暗示，他们已经在着手扩展这些能力。

Edge公司的一位发言人告诉《防务新闻》：“我们计划进一步开发HT-100，使其能够搭载更多有效载荷。这将是一个快速推进的开发项目，我们很快就会公布相关信息。生产仍将在瑞士进行，部分零部件将在阿联酋制造。”

收购公告中并未提及瑞士正在推进的新外国投资审查制度。2021年，在通过一项旨在更好地保护国民经济的动议后，瑞士联邦委员会受命起草相关初步立法。

经过漫长的咨询过程审查该拟议法律后，大多数决策者反对引入该法律，认为这将削弱瑞士作为投资中心的吸引力。

最终达成的妥协方案是修改法案，并将适用范围限制在特定行业。因此，瑞士联邦经济、教育和研究部受命在2023年底前拟定一份修订草案。

新立法的主要提案预计是，只有在国防设备等关键领域运营的瑞士公司被外国国有控股投资者收购时，才需要接受审查。

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。