EDGE reaches full-rate production on automated 40mm ammunition line

Abu Dhabi, UAE: 22 October 2026 – EDGE has reached full-rate production on the automated 40x53mm grenade ammunition line at LAHAB, its medium- to large-calibre ammunition manufacturer. The line entered operation at the end of 2025 and assembles sub-components automatically from start to finish without manual intervention.

The line is built around three modules covering cartridge case assembly and filling, projectile filling and assembly, and final assembly and belting of rounds. It can produce up to 1.5 million rounds a year.

Mohammed Arbabi, Chief Executive Officer, LAHAB, said: “As part of our continued journey towards Industry 4.0, we have successfully implemented advanced automation across complex manufacturing processes, reducing manual labour requirements by nearly 60%. 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.”

Built to Industry 4.0 standards, the line monitors operations as they run, records production data across all three modules, and provides real-time feedback through a dashboard. Throughput, module performance, and production status are visible immediately rather than being reconstructed at the end of a shift, allowing deviations to be identified and corrected while the line is still running.

The 40mm line is the most recent project in a sustained programme of smart manufacturing across EDGE entities. In 2025 alone, EDGE delivered more than 68 Industry 4.0 transformation projects across 28 production facilities, doubling production capacity at 13 entities. At EDGE’s smart weapons producer, HALCON, an automated assembly line for the DESERT STING 16 guided-glide weapon brought together 11 industrial robots, more than 300 sensors, six machine vision stations, and automated material handling and inspection, increasing production volume by 130% while reducing labour content by 23%. At CARACAL, EDGE’s firearms and small-calibre ammunition producer, an automated storage and retrieval system raised storage density by around 80% and made storage and retrieval operations three times faster, removing the need for investment in an additional warehouse.

Underpinning this work is BRIDGE, the EDGE function for innovation, operational excellence, and industrialisation. Further projects are underway across the EDGE manufacturing base. LAHAB, HALCON, and CARACAL are part of EDGE’s synergised defence manufacturing ecosystem in the UAE. Built to deliver capability at speed and scale, that ecosystem is being extended to partner nations building their own sovereign defence industrial base.

photo courtesy EDGE