Why Gulf defense firms are betting on Europe in wake of Iran war
In less than a week, the UAE's Edge Group has unveiled a string of major defense announcements in Europe.
On June 11, Abu Dhabi defense conglomerate Edge Group launched Edge Europe, establishing a new headquarters in Paris and an engineering and manufacturing center in Bordeaux. Days later, at the Eurosatory defense exhibition, Edge signed a series of agreements with French defense companies including Safran and Naval Group, deepened cooperation with Italy's Leonardo and expanded its commercial footprint in France through a new partnership with Business France.
Taken together, the announcements suggest that the United Arab Emirates is pursuing something far more ambitious than a new round of procurement deals, increasingly seeking a direct role in the development, production and export of advanced military technologies.
The Iran war accelerated an existing strategy
Since its establishment in 2019, Edge Group has pursued an ambitious strategy aimed at transforming the Emirates from a major importer of military equipment into a defense-industrial actor in its own right. The company reported nearly $8 billion in orders in 2025, and a backlog exceeding $20 billion, while expanding through acquisitions, joint ventures and investments across Europe, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
