EDGE to Acquire Brazil's AKAER to Strengthen Military and Unmanned Aviation Engineering.

EDGE has signed an agreement to acquire 100 percent of Brazilian aerospace engineering firm AKAER, expanding the Emirati defense group's global industrial footprint. The move strengthens EDGE's aerospace engineering capabilities while deepening its role in advanced defense technology development.

The acquisition, which remains subject to customary regulatory approvals, builds on an existing partnership between EDGE and AKAER in unmanned aerial vehicle development. Under the agreement, AKAER will retain its designation as a Brazilian Strategic Defense Company, preserving its domestic operations, governance structure and established customer relationships while becoming part of EDGE's expanding international defense portfolio.

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César Silva, Akaer Founder; Anderson Farias, Mayor of São José dos Campos; Rodrigo Torres, EDGE CFO; H.E Ambassador of the UAE Sharif Al Suwaidi and Dr.Chaouki (Picture source: EDGE)

Founded in 1992 and headquartered in São José dos Campos, AKAER has established itself as one of Brazil's leading aerospace engineering companies. Over more than three decades, it has delivered in excess of 10 million engineering hours across military and commercial aviation programs. Its portfolio includes contributions to Saab's Gripen E fighter, Turkish Aerospace's Hürjet advanced jet trainer, Embraer's Super Tucano light attack aircraft, ERJ-E1 and ERJ-E2 regional jets, Legacy 450 and Legacy 500 business aircraft, and the KC-390 tactical transport. The company has also supported Boeing's 747-8 program, Calidus' B-250 light attack aircraft and modernization work for the Brazilian Air Force's P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft, giving it experience across fighter, transport, trainer and surveillance platforms.

According to the announcement released by EDGE on July 16, 2026, the value of the acquisition extends well beyond the addition of another engineering company to its portfolio. The Emirati group is effectively acquiring a mature aerospace design capability that would have required years to develop internally. AKAER covers the complete engineering cycle, from conceptual design and systems architecture to industrialization and certification, enabling complex aerospace programs to move more rapidly from development into production. This expertise is particularly valuable for EDGE's expanding unmanned systems portfolio, where integrating airframes, mission systems, sensors and software into a coherent platform increasingly determines development timelines and export competitiveness. Bringing these capabilities in-house also reduces dependence on external engineering partners while strengthening the group's ability to control future aerospace programs from design to production.

The acquisition also provides access to highly specialized technical competencies. AKAER's participation in the Gripen E program has exposed its engineering teams to advanced digital development methodologies, structural integration and avionics architecture associated with a modern multirole combat aircraft. Its long-standing involvement in the KC-390 program has equally provided experience with military certification processes, complex systems integration and lifecycle engineering for large transport platforms. EDGE further states that the transaction expands its capabilities in optronics, electro-optical and infrared systems as well as space-related technologies. These technologies are not peripheral additions. Electro-optical and infrared payloads constitute the primary sensor suites of modern ISR platforms, while optronic systems support target acquisition, precision engagement and battlefield surveillance. Integrating these technologies with in-house UAV development gives EDGE greater control over mission system architecture while reducing reliance on external subsystem suppliers.

The acquisition reinforces EDGE's ambition to control the full development chain of future unmanned aerial systems. Rather than sourcing critical technologies from multiple external partners, the group can increasingly integrate airframe design, mission computers, electro-optical payloads, communication architectures and software development under a unified engineering process. This approach reduces technical risk during integration, shortens qualification campaigns and facilitates the rapid incorporation of customer-specific requirements, including new ISR payloads, electronic warfare systems or precision-guided weapons. Such engineering agility has become a decisive factor in the global UAV market, where operational feedback from recent conflicts drives frequent capability upgrades and shorter procurement cycles.

Beyond immediate program synergies, the acquisition strengthens EDGE's long-term industrial model. Since its creation in 2019, the Emirati group has sought to move beyond licensed production and component assembly by building sovereign design capabilities across missiles, autonomous systems, electronic warfare, cyber technologies and space programs. Acquiring AKAER provides a permanent engineering presence within Brazil's mature aerospace ecosystem, where decades of experience accumulated through Embraer, Saab and other international programs have created a highly specialized workforce. For EDGE, this means gaining access not only to engineering talent but also to established industrial processes and certification expertise that can be leveraged across future aerospace projects.

This acquisition also confirms that Brazil is becoming an increasingly important pillar of EDGE's international industrial strategy. Beyond securing AKAER's engineering expertise, the Emirati group continues to deepen its presence in one of the world's most established aerospace ecosystems through successive investments and partnerships with Brazilian defense companies. Rather than seeking production capacity alone, EDGE is positioning itself where advanced aircraft design, systems integration and aerospace certification expertise are already concentrated. For Brazil, preserving AKAER's Strategic Defense Company status while welcoming foreign capital maintains national engineering capabilities and ongoing defense programs.