EDGE and Anduril present Omen, a new autonomous hover-to-cruise aircraft jointly developed as part of their new industrial alliance based in the United Arab Emirates. The system represents the first concrete result of the EDGE–Anduril Production Alliance, designed to design, produce, sell, and support a new generation of autonomous platforms for civilian and military use.
The initiative is part of the historic defense partnership between the United States and the United Arab Emirates, founded on shared security and commercial interests, and aims to strengthen the region's technological and industrial sovereignty in the field of autonomous systems.
A new alliance for next-generation autonomous systems
The joint venture creates a joint production, sales, and sustainment vehicle – the EDGE–Anduril Production Alliance – destined to become a reference hub for advanced manufacturing in the autonomous systems sector.
The two companies are finalizing agreements in compliance with the necessary government approvals from the United States and the United Arab Emirates, with the goal of aligning industrial capabilities, technological know-how, and development speed.
The collaboration combines EDGE's regional presence and established relationships in the Middle East with Anduril's experience in rapid, software-defined development and large-scale production. The stated goal is to provide numerically significant, economically sustainable, and rapidly deployable capabilities, in line with the needs of modern deterrence.
Omen: hover-to-cruise drone born from the EDGE–Anduril alliance
The first system developed within the joint venture is Omen, an autonomous hover-to-cruise air vehicle (AAV) designed to offer the autonomy, endurance, and payload capacity typical of larger platforms within a compact airframe independent of traditional runways. Conceived from the outset as a dual-use platform, Omen is intended for multi-domain missions ranging from defense to civilian, commercial, and humanitarian applications.
Omen is capable of taking off and landing vertically, like a drone or helicopter, and then transitioning to cruise flight, combining the tactical flexibility of VTOL with the efficiency of a fixed-wing aircraft.
The system is also made possible by Anduril's $850 million investment in mission autonomy technologies and the development of Group 3 class VTOL systems, along with nearly $200 million in new investments from EDGE. The shared goal is to bring Omen from development to large-scale production by the end of 2028.
An initial order of 50 systems and a guaranteed production base
The United Arab Emirates has already finalized the acquisition of the first 50 Omen systems, creating a guaranteed production base and a dedicated manufacturing facility.
This initial order allows for the expansion of the local supply chain, accelerating the country's path towards domestic mass production of dual-use autonomous aircraft and defining a clear trajectory: from co-development to serial production, from operational deployment to future exports to regional and international customers.
The systems destined for the Emirates and other regional allies will be produced locally by the EDGE–Anduril Production Alliance, while any U.S. orders are planned at Anduril's Arsenal-1 facility in Ohio.
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