UAE's island-based weapons range gets an upgrade for drone practice

MILAN — The United Arab Emirates' conglomerate Edge Group has announced the expansion of its international multi-domain testing site for weapons, aiming to boost the range's utility in exercising drone operations.
The XRange, of which a mock-up was unveiled at the Dubai Airshow in 2023, is located southwest of Abu Dhabi on the 135-square-mile island of Abu Al Abyad, the equivalent of nearly twice the area of Washington, D.C.
The site's expansion will include the construction of a secondary 1.2-kilometer runway to support unmanned aerial systems' take-off and landing, two new emergency runways to boost recovery capabilities, and a new, already operational drone training facility.
Dubbed the UAS drone training village, it is designed for low-level drone testing in simulated urban environments. It enables operators to practice discerning city elements using artificial intelligence and operating first-person-view drones.
Footage released by Edge of the dedicated simulation facilities shows what appear to be dozens of large container boxes and improvised patches of grass in the desert.
Another addition will include the establishment of a vehicle blast and ballistics capability, where defense and commercial customers will be able to assess the resilience of their civilian or armored vehicles against small arms, anti-tank mines, and rocket-propelled grenades.
Extended airspace has also been introduced as part of the expansion – where clients now have access to an optional 100-kilometer x 25-kilometer air corridor west of Abu Al Abyad island, which can be cleared up to 10,000 feet, per a company press release.
According to Remaya International, Edge's branch overseeing the venture, Xrange is the largest testing site of its kind in the Gulf region.
It is unclear whether it has attracted international defense companies beyond the region. The chief executive officer of Remaya International previously told Defense News that all the platforms in Edge's portfolio have been trialed at the range.
For example, the company used the range to conduct the first flight of the Jeniah jet-powered drone last year. Other local manufacturers have also conducted similar tests for cargo UAVs.

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