As part of the press tour of the United Arab Emirates we are taking part in at the invitation of EDGE Group, we had the opportunity to visit X-RANGE, the group’s multi-domain test range. The range is located on an island about 100 km southwest of Abu Dhabi, connected to the mainland by a bridge, and covers an area of 350 sq km on land plus a further 50 sq km at sea.
X-RANGE is currently used by Emirati defense companies and by the Emirati Ministry of Defense (MoD), but the goal is to open it to foreign government institutions and companies as well. As EDGE representatives explained during the visit, the group aims to allocate 15% of the area’s capacity to foreign customers as early as next year.
The fully instrumented range offers a broad spectrum of capabilities, enabling tests of drones, aircraft, land platforms and various equipment, as well as counter-drone and electronic warfare systems. It also includes a 140 sq km firing area for live-fire testing of ammunition up to 30 mm and 40 mm calibers and for testing anti-tank and short-range surface-to-air missiles. Within the firing area there is also a target area for air-to-surface munition release tests and for trials with loitering munitions and One-Way Attack (OWA) drones. At present, 80% of activities are dedicated to testing drones and counter-drone systems.
Finally, X-RANGE has a 3.5 km runway capable of handling various types of aircraft, including fighters, and 4 runways dedicated to drones (including one measuring 1.2 km).
Further details and in-depth coverage in RID issue 1/27.
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