EDGE has brought an automated 40mm grenade ammunition line to full-rate production in the UAE, with capacity to manufacture up to 1.5 million rounds annually.
The line, operated by EDGE subsidiary LAHAB, began operating at the end of 2025 and automates the assembly of ammunition subcomponents from start to finish without manual intervention.
The production system has three modules covering cartridge case assembly and filling, projectile filling and assembly, and final assembly and belting. It collects production data across the modules and displays throughput, performance, and operating status on a real-time dashboard, allowing staff to identify problems while the line is running.
LAHAB CEO Mohammed Arbabi said the automation had reduced manual labor requirements by nearly 60 percent.
“This enables greater annual output, improved efficiency, and reduced reliance on manual operations, while establishing a stronger foundation for scalable and advanced manufacturing of 40mm grenades,” he said.
Automating EDGE Production
The new line is part of EDGE’s wider effort to automate its defense manufacturing operations. In 2025, the group said it completed more than 68 Industry 4.0 transformation projects across 28 production facilities, doubling production capacity at 13 entities.
EDGE has also applied automation to guided weapons production at HALCON, its smart weapons manufacturer. An automated assembly line for the DESERT STING 16 guided-glide weapon integrates 11 industrial robots, more than 300 sensors, six machine vision stations, and automated material handling and inspection.
The line increased production volume by 130 percent while reducing labor content by 23 percent.
Elsewhere in the group, CARACAL, which produces firearms and small-caliber ammunition, installed an automated storage and retrieval system that has increased storage density by around 80 percent and made storage and retrieval three times faster. The system also removed the need to invest in an additional warehouse.
