EDGE has awarded a AED 200 million contract to Emirates Cable Corporation Interconnect, giving the Abu Dhabi-based manufacturer a key role in supplying high-technology cable harness assemblies for HALCON’s smart weapons programmes.
The agreement, announced at Make It In The Emirates 2026 in Abu Dhabi, covers mission-critical subsystems that support power distribution, signal transmission and systems integration across weapons architecture. The contract places ECCI inside one of the UAE’s most sensitive advanced manufacturing supply chains, where reliability, certification standards and production consistency are central to defence procurement.
HALCON, the EDGE entity behind the award, specialises in precision-guided systems and smart weapons. Its decision to source cable harness assemblies from ECCI reflects a wider shift by EDGE towards embedding more local suppliers into advanced defence production, reducing exposure to imported components and building a deeper domestic industrial base.
The contract was signed by Hamad Al Marar, managing director and chief executive of EDGE, and Rashid Al Mutawaa, board member of ECCI. The signing was witnessed by Dr Nasser Humaid Al Nuaimi, secretary-general of Tawazun Council, and Matar Ali Al Romaithi, director-general of the Planning and Procurement Directorate at Tawazun Council for Defence Enablement, underlining the strategic nature of the deal within the UAE’s defence procurement framework.
Al Marar said the agreement aligned with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology’s national industrial strategy to raise manufacturing’s contribution to GDP to AED 300 billion by 2031. He said the collaboration with ECCI marked a step towards “integrating local suppliers into the UAE’s advanced defence ecosystem” while strengthening supply-chain resilience and generating in-country value.
ECCI, formally Emirates Cable Corporation Interconnect, specialises in high-reliability cable harness and interconnect solutions for defence and advanced technology applications. These components are not headline systems such as missiles, drones or launchers, but they are essential to the functioning of complex weapons platforms. Faults in cabling, connectors or signal pathways can compromise performance, safety and operational readiness.
The award builds on a February 2025 agreement under which HALCON moved to hand over a fully functional, high-technology cable harness facility to ECCI in Abu Dhabi. That earlier arrangement, signed during IDEX 2025, was designed to create a local production base for cable and tactical harness solutions, supporting the UAE’s Make It In The Emirates and Industry 4.0 programmes.
Rashid Al Mutawaa said ECCI valued the continued trust placed in it by EDGE and described the engagement as part of a strategic partnership aimed at building capabilities of national importance. He said ECCI remained focused on strengthening in-country capabilities and maintaining quality execution across mission-critical subsystems.
EDGE has been expanding its manufacturing footprint across Abu Dhabi as part of a broader plan to make more of its defence portfolio within the UAE. Its portfolio spans missiles and weapons, platforms and systems, space and cyber technologies, homeland security, and technologies and industrialisation. The group has more than 35 entities and has positioned localisation as a commercial and security priority.
At Make It In The Emirates 2025, EDGE said more than 80 per cent of its portfolio of over 220 products and solutions was being manufactured in the UAE, supported by more than 170 manufacturing and assembly facilities in Abu Dhabi. It also highlighted over 65 Industry 4.0 transformation projects across 24 production facilities, reflecting a push towards automation, digital production systems and higher throughput.
The ECCI contract fits that trajectory because cable harnesses sit at the intersection of defence manufacturing, electronics integration and systems engineering. As weapons systems become more software-driven and sensor-heavy, demand rises for specialised subsystems capable of handling secure signals, power loads, harsh operating conditions and platform-specific integration requirements.
EDGE has also been widening partnerships in electronics and subsystem supply. Its engagement with ICAPE Group on printed circuit boards and custom electronic components points to a parallel effort to localise more of the electronics value chain. Together, these moves indicate that the group is not only expanding final assembly, but also seeking greater control over critical inputs that determine production speed, cost and resilience.
The agreement, announced at Make It In The Emirates 2026 in Abu Dhabi, covers mission-critical subsystems that support power distribution, signal transmission and systems integration across weapons architecture. The contract places ECCI inside one of the UAE’s most sensitive advanced manufacturing supply chains, where reliability, certification standards and production consistency are central to defence procurement.
HALCON, the EDGE entity behind the award, specialises in precision-guided systems and smart weapons. Its decision to source cable harness assemblies from ECCI reflects a wider shift by EDGE towards embedding more local suppliers into advanced defence production, reducing exposure to imported components and building a deeper domestic industrial base.
The contract was signed by Hamad Al Marar, managing director and chief executive of EDGE, and Rashid Al Mutawaa, board member of ECCI. The signing was witnessed by Dr Nasser Humaid Al Nuaimi, secretary-general of Tawazun Council, and Matar Ali Al Romaithi, director-general of the Planning and Procurement Directorate at Tawazun Council for Defence Enablement, underlining the strategic nature of the deal within the UAE’s defence procurement framework.
Al Marar said the agreement aligned with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology’s national industrial strategy to raise manufacturing’s contribution to GDP to AED 300 billion by 2031. He said the collaboration with ECCI marked a step towards “integrating local suppliers into the UAE’s advanced defence ecosystem” while strengthening supply-chain resilience and generating in-country value.
ECCI, formally Emirates Cable Corporation Interconnect, specialises in high-reliability cable harness and interconnect solutions for defence and advanced technology applications. These components are not headline systems such as missiles, drones or launchers, but they are essential to the functioning of complex weapons platforms. Faults in cabling, connectors or signal pathways can compromise performance, safety and operational readiness.
The award builds on a February 2025 agreement under which HALCON moved to hand over a fully functional, high-technology cable harness facility to ECCI in Abu Dhabi. That earlier arrangement, signed during IDEX 2025, was designed to create a local production base for cable and tactical harness solutions, supporting the UAE’s Make It In The Emirates and Industry 4.0 programmes.
Rashid Al Mutawaa said ECCI valued the continued trust placed in it by EDGE and described the engagement as part of a strategic partnership aimed at building capabilities of national importance. He said ECCI remained focused on strengthening in-country capabilities and maintaining quality execution across mission-critical subsystems.
EDGE has been expanding its manufacturing footprint across Abu Dhabi as part of a broader plan to make more of its defence portfolio within the UAE. Its portfolio spans missiles and weapons, platforms and systems, space and cyber technologies, homeland security, and technologies and industrialisation. The group has more than 35 entities and has positioned localisation as a commercial and security priority.
At Make It In The Emirates 2025, EDGE said more than 80 per cent of its portfolio of over 220 products and solutions was being manufactured in the UAE, supported by more than 170 manufacturing and assembly facilities in Abu Dhabi. It also highlighted over 65 Industry 4.0 transformation projects across 24 production facilities, reflecting a push towards automation, digital production systems and higher throughput.
The ECCI contract fits that trajectory because cable harnesses sit at the intersection of defence manufacturing, electronics integration and systems engineering. As weapons systems become more software-driven and sensor-heavy, demand rises for specialised subsystems capable of handling secure signals, power loads, harsh operating conditions and platform-specific integration requirements.
EDGE has also been widening partnerships in electronics and subsystem supply. Its engagement with ICAPE Group on printed circuit boards and custom electronic components points to a parallel effort to localise more of the electronics value chain. Together, these moves indicate that the group is not only expanding final assembly, but also seeking greater control over critical inputs that determine production speed, cost and resilience.
Topics
Spotlight