SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)
EDGE Group, one of the world's leading advanced technology and defence groups, is showcasing its newly launched AJBAN 452A, a flagship 4x4 ballistic and blast-protected patrol vehicle, and XRANGE, an international defence, aerospace and commercial products testing, evaluation and training ground facility at the International Defence Exhibition (IDEX), currently being held in Abu Dhabi.
"The AJBAN 452A is an all-terrain, armoured personnel carrier that can transport up to 11 crew members. It can be customised to serve as an ambulance, observation variant, or a command and control vehicle," Mariam Al Hmoudi, Engineering Project Manager at NIMR, told Aletihad.
NIMR, part of EDGE Group, is a leading manufacturer of combat-proven light and medium-weight wheeled military vehicles.
It is known for its in-house design and production capabilities to meet a diverse range of user requirements.
The AJBAN 452A has a gross vehicle weight of 16,000kg and can carry a payload of 3,500kg at the base vehicle.
It has a maximum speed of 110km/h and a cruising range of 700km at 80km/h.
The vehicle is equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission (6 forward, 1 reverse) and a pneumatic brake system with ABS.
Another EDGE entity, REMAYA, a world-class military-grade shooting range builder, is showcasing the XRANGE facility.
Speaking to Aletihad, Saif Ahmed, a Field Services Supervisor at REMAYA, said: "The XRANGE facility covers 350km² and includes multiple test ranges where we can conduct water, air, and land tests. We can also test both national and international products. This is done in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence."
The XRANGE facility, an Abu Dhabi-based multi-domain Training, Test & Evaluation (TT&E) facility operated by REMAYA, has expanded its capabilities to better serve defence, aerospace, and commercial clients, according to EDGE Group.
Key additions include a 1.2km secondary runway, two emergency runways, an environmental test centre, a UAS Drone Training Village as well as extended airspace for customer operations.
New environmental testing facilities offer component-level testing, including high explosives.
The UAS Drone Training Village supports urban UAS testing, and airspace access has been extended with a 100km x 25km corridor.
XRANGE also introduced ruggedised sensors for multi-domain testing across UAVs, vehicles, maritime, along with weapon systems.
Moreover, a Vehicle Blast and Ballistics test service is being developed to assess armoured vehicles' resilience to various threats, following international standards.