DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Al Tariq has integrated a long-range precision-guided munitions kit onto a 1,000-pound high-speed, low-drag Mk 83 bomb, giving it the lonest range of its kind worldwide at 120 kilometers, the Emirate company told Defense News.
“Production will be ready during the second quarter of 2022, and flight trials have already commenced in Q3 2021,” Theunis Botha, CEO of the Edge Group subsidiary, said. “The system will be produced at Al Tariq facilities in the UAE.”
The ongoing trials conducted with the Emirati armed forces have so far been successful, with the munitions kit demonstrating operational capability with the payload.
The HSLD Mk 83 weapon uses components also found in the Mk 81 and Mk 82 bombs, and made its public debut at the Dubai Airshow, taking place Nov. 14-18 in the United Arab Emirates. The company also integrated a GNSS anti-jamming system into the bomb.
The kit also features a new height-of-burst sensor for airburst applications to neutralize strategic infrastructure such as radar installations.
Meanwhile, a newly developed 500-pound penetration warhead is in the final stages of its integration into the weapon. The warhead is meant to defeat hardened targets, such as underground bunkers.
Botha also confirmed to Defense News that the system will be available for export.
Agnes Helou was a Middle East correspondent for Defense News. Her interests include missile defense, cybersecurity, the interoperability of weapons systems and strategic issues in the Middle East and Gulf region.
