IDEX 2019: Etimad, the UAE aerial target drone specialist

Trials to start a native drone industry in the United Arab Emirates was not an eventless task. For sure many IDEX aficionados will remember the boisterous launch of Adcom and their fantastic drones 4 years ago and their rapid (business) crash…

More successful seems to be Etimad Industrial with their range of aerial targets designed to fulfill a number of tactical roles in the UAE Armed Forces. All can operate autonomously, controlled from a ruggedized operator console mounted in the back of a pick-up truck. The UAE company has been designing and producing target drones for around 2 years now. Their portfolio includes from low-speed targets using piston engines for anti-aircraft gun calibration to fast and very manoeuvrable jet propelled drones to train air defence operators. The Etimad ETJ-32/40 pictured here is a fast drone able to fly up to 550 km/h which can be completed with a 32- or 40 kg of thrust jet engine.

Photo by Jean-Michel Guhl