Calibre interview: Miles Chambers, SVP of International Business Development, EDGE Group

In November 2019 dignitaries and journalists from around the world gathered in Abu Dhabi to hear Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan inaugurate EDGE, the UAE’s defence conglomerate. The ceremony and series of events was relaxed and journalists were given time to speak with the Crown Prince himself, about EDGE and the future of the UAE. “Established with a core mandate to disrupt an antiquated military industry generally stifled by red tape, EDGE is set to bring products to market faster and at more cost-effective price points,” His Excellency Faisal Al Bannai, previously Managing Director and CEO, now Chairman of EDGE Group, said at the time. But the inauguration was a very important turning point for the Emirates. In 2017, the World Bank Group announced it would stop financing upstream oil and gas from 2019 in all but the poorest countries. This means it would no longer finance new oil extractions and explorations. The UN called on oil-producing countries to transition to renewable sources in June 2018, and between 2017 and 2018, the G7 countries maintained their pledge to eliminate “inefficient fossil fuel subsidies” by 2025. All of this was set against the backdrop of the 2016 Paris Agreement, which had set the target of keeping the increase in global temperatures below 2°C and further ensuring that investment was aligned with climate goals. 

EDGE was much more than an attempt to disrupt the defence industry, it was part of the UAE’s plan for life after the last barrel of oil, a plan that had started much earlier. “In 50 years, when we might have the last barrel of oil, the question is: when it is shipped abroad, will we be sad? If we are investing today in the right sectors, I can tell you we will celebrate at that moment,” Sheikh bin Zayed Al Nahyan is reported to have said in 2015. EDGE pulled together some well-known entities for those in the defence industry, including  NIMR, the armoured vehicles manufacturer and long-time supporter of the UAE armed forces, as well as HALCON with its precision munition portfolio, and many others organised into five clusters. It was part of the UAE’s plan to establish itself in high-tech industries, embrace future technologies, and secure alternate sources of revenue. 

I was one of the few journalists fortunate enough to have attended the inauguration and wrote about EDGE at the time. I have managed to catch up with the team there periodically and so reached out to Miles Chambers, Senior VP of International Business Development at EDGE, to catch up on the company’s progress over the past six years. 

A trusted partner

“If we look back to when EDGE was formed in November 2019, the entities that were merged were primarily focused on the domestic market. They were doing approximately $50 million in exports through a handful of the businesses. In 2024 we reached $5 billion turnover and $2.4 billion of that was export, growing further to US $3.7bn in 2025 representing two-thirds of total sales.” Miles started by explaining. But he was quick to point out that the company’s success had deep foundations. This represents a 7,300% increase in the value of exports if the value of the dollar was constant. 

“It’s a sign of the maturity of the defence industry in the UAE, built on investments in the sector over the past 30 years. Many of the companies, like Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB), are now 30 years old.” Those companies are gaining a growing amount of trust, and ADSB recently secured the largest export order in history for a Middle Eastern nation, with a $2.5 billion order for its Falaj 3 offshore patrol vessels. “2025 is the first year where the international business is a larger share of our turnover than the domestic,” Miles explained. 

• EDGE to build Falaj 3 missile boats for Kuwait in record deal – Calibre Defence
• Euronaval 24: ADSB announces partners for RABDAN OPV – Calibre Defence 
• Omen UAV unveiled by EDGE and Anduril – Calibre Defence 

The group’s rapid growth is partly a result of its buy-and-build strategy, which has seen a regular influx of new entities and product lines to the portfolio. The Estonian robotics company, Milrem Robotics, was acquired in 2023, for example, and a 50% stake in Brazil’s SIATT in the same year, followed by a majority shareholding in ANAVIA, the Swiss UAV manufacturer towards the end of the year. In the world of mergers and acquisitions, this is called “inorganic growth,” and it’s a powerful strategy. The company now has 250+ products to offer and a staff of 17,900 personnel across 35+ entities and five clusters, a significant increase on the 25 that pooled their resources in 2019. 

EDGE Group, here to stay

“We are a big organisation, but we have focused on maintaining the agility that was one of the core principles when EDGE was founded. We don’t want to be constrained by large company bureaucracy. We aim to remain agile internally during development, and in response to customer needs,” Miles explained. And that approach is clear in its many recent agreements, such as opening an assault rifle factory in India and partnering with Keytech Asia to do the same in Malaysia. 

Miles sees local partnerships as key to the EDGE business model, and he focuses on building trust, first. “Military customers are buying large capital systems and they expect them to be in service for many years, and a big part of that is a domestic support base. It’s a long-term strategic relationship and in some countries, we have opened local offices as a sign of our commitment to those markets.” This includes in Brazil and Switzerland. We also make sure that the maintenance and technical support is on hand, and that we can maximise availability for their end users.” 

• IDEX 2025: Caracal to manufacture CAR 816 assault rifle in Malaysia – Calibre Defence 
• ANAVIA opens new R&D hub in Switzerland – Calibre Defence 

“Inherently, what we have done is very logical. It would make sense to most players in the space. Equipment needs to be backed by an integrated logistics and support function,” Miles continued, but added that “The one thing we have done very well is really living up to those obligations with a high focus on ensuring that we deliver. A lot of customers have found that the equipment they procure meets their needs in the initial years post acquisition but ensuring that support over multiple years is challenging.” He went on to re-emphasise that EDGE focuses on delivering to its contractual obligations, but also the customer’s expectations. “They’re not always the same,” he said. 

Longevity is a part of the company’s value proposition, recognising that they are often supplying large capital programmes. “There’s a lot of debate amongst new players in the drone segment and elsewhere, contrasting themselves with the big primes. That’s great, in terms of bringing new tech to the frontline and rapidly innovating,” Miles told me, pointing out some of EDGE’s own innovations, like the Hunter-2S loitering munition system, designed for massed autonomous strikes.

“Yes, sometimes big primes are not as nimble or agile, but there’s a reason those big primes exist and will exist for a long time. You need the longevity of those entities to maintain capital procurements – our Falaj class for Kuwait will be in service for 40 years. It’s not just about how quickly we can get an ROI from a new tech startup, it’s about being there for our customers in the long-run.”

Future growth: An atypical edge

“We are atypical, with more than 95 different nationalities in our workforce, and a very strong UAE core that has an incredible focus on engineering,” Miles said, thinking aloud on what makes EDGE different to others in the defence industry. “This background of different individuals feeds into our ability to do things differently, because we don’t all come from the same ecosystem with the same view of problems,” he explained. 

Looking ahead, the company is planning to put its diversity into effect, driving developments in the world of autonomous systems. “Fundamentally, the intention should be to bring people out of hostile areas and autonomy and UGVs can enable that. In terms of our autonomous capabilities, we are across the three domains – land, air, and sea. And, we have a big focus on using loitering munitions for a rapid strike capability, rather than just a long loiter time over a target,” Miles said, providing a brief overview of the company’s autonomous offering. 

• How MILREM is Redefining Tactical Autonomy with Next-Gen UGVs 
• Dutch initiative sends 150 THeMIS UGVs to Ukraine – Calibre Defence
• IDEX 2025: Milrem unveils Havoc 8×8 RCV – Calibre Defence 

Some of its core products include the THeMIS from Milrem Robotics, and HT-100 from ANAVIA, both of which have been contracted by the UAE armed forces. And the Dutch MoD recently announced that it was funding 150 of the THeMIS UGV for Ukraine. Milrem is also working on HAVOC, a large robotic combat vehicle designed for frontline use in support of armoured forces. Other key areas for EDGE looking forward include greater security for the company’s supply chains. “We are de-risking our supply chain in engines, making sure that we have control over those building blocks and components,” he added. The goal is to make sure that they can access key components in a time of need. 

At the same time, EDGE is working on the concept of operations for the use of UGVs and autonomous platforms, contributing to customer understanding of the art of the possible in the field of autonomy. EDGE has a broad customer base to continue its growth, with representation in around 100 countries, many of them hosting a long-term company presence. “We get great support from MoD and Ministry of Foreign Affairs in those engagements, which is critically important for us. As well as that, we receive support from export credit agencies to help support our customers through these programmes.” 

Finally, reflecting on the current state of defence as a whole, Miles told me, “Things are changing at a much quicker pace from the battlefield through to domestic procurement practices. So, we are constantly developing, whether through JVs, internally, or through acquisition to meet those needs, and that is our goal going forward.” 

Calibre comment: A rising star

The EDGE Group ranks among the top 25 military suppliers in the world by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), EDGE’s success shows that it is one of the industry’s rising stars. With more and more of that revenue expected to come from exports, Miles has a busy time ahead of him. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on 19th November, 2025. The lead image shows Miles Chambers, SVP of international business development at the EDGE Group. Credit: EDGE Group.