Today's Edition
TALAH TURK (DUBAI)
Abu Dhabi’s local talent is pushing the boundaries of aviation technology with its very own AI-powered, fully autonomous drone, “El-Waleed”.
Developed entirely in-house, the mission began as a side project fuelled by the passion and determination of the Global Aerospace Logistics’ (GAL) team of aircraft engineers. Proving its potential, it eventually evolved into a one-of-a-kind prototype now positioned to support advanced aircraft inspection and safety efforts.
Speaking to Aletihad at the Dubai Airshow 2025, Tareq Alsayed Ibrahim, Base Manager at GAL, expressed pride in his team and credited the company’s leadership for encouraging innovation. “The direction from our management is: ‘If you are not innovative, then you are not relevant.’ So, to be relevant, we introduced El-Waleed,” he said.
Abu Dhabi Aviation, GAL’s parent company, played a major role in bringing the project to life. Ibrahim elaborated: “Our CEO, Mahmood Al Hameli, humbly funded the development of our drone and now continues to support us to open a research and development lab to take this to the next level.”
Majid Albedwawi, an aircraft engineer at GAL, told Aletihad that the concept originated organically within the team out of necessity. “It was built as a solution to problems we were facing at work. By uniting the expertise within the team, we were able to build our own AI learning machine along with this 3D-printed drone.”
He pointed out that one of El-Waleed’s biggest strengths is its solid data protection abilities, saying: “What is special about El-Waleed is that it is not connected to the internet and the data is encrypted, which means only the client can access the information.
Currently, the fully autonomous drone, which can be used in many fields, is used primarily as an aircraft inspection system supporting runway surveillance, pre-flight and post-flight checks, and FOD (Foreign Object Debris) inspections, Albedwawi noted.
The software processes drone-captured images, providing real-time visual cues that enable engineers to identify and address abnormalities promptly. This, Albedwawi elaborated, “minimises downtime and maximises safety”.
