Halcon to Supply Desert Sting Precision Weapons to UAE Armed Forces in US$1 Billion Deal

Halcon, a regional leader in the production and supply of precision-guided weapons, has signed a US$1 billion (AED3.6 billion) contract to deliver its Desert Sting-16 (DS-16) range of precision guided weapons to the UAE Armed Forces.

Saeed Al Mansoori, CEO of Halcon, announced the landmark deal at the ongoing Dubai Airshow 2019. Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Al Mansoori said: “We are honoured to provide the best-in-class precision-guided weapons to the UAE Armed Forces. With the support of our nation’s visionary leadership, and years of experience in advanced technology and the high-stakes guided weapons industry, this opportunity underlines our position as a regional industry leader.

“This will help strengthen capabilities, equipping them with enhanced efficiency, reliability, and assurance – and overall enabling a more secure future”, he added.

The Desert Sting is a family of light weight, precision-guided glide weapons (GGW). Its two variants – the DS-8 and DS-16 – weigh between 15 and 23 kilograms, and primarily utilise inertial guidance technology, which is further augmented by their global navigation satellite system (GNSS). The Desert Sting’s semi-active laser (SAL) seeker configuration further enhances accurate performance against real-time targets.

Halcon ideates, designs and manufactures precision guided weapon systems, while leveraging emerging technologies to produce solutions at the highest international standards for the UAE and beyond. With three laboratories and eight production facilities, Halcon’s capabilities are reinforced by cutting-edge R&D and state-of-the-art equipment.

Halcon is part of the Missiles & Weapons cluster within EDGE, an advanced technology group for defence and beyond that was inaugurated in November, 2019.