Abu Dhabi’s SIRBAI has revealed what it calls the Middle East’s first autonomous drone swarm platform, using UMEX 2026 to mark its push into defense technology.

The system lets groups of unmanned aircraft coordinate with minimal operator input. Planning, command and execution all sit on a single software platform. The pitch: lighter workload and faster decisions, even under jamming attempts, patchy signals or GPS-denied conditions. Resilient navigation keeps swarms flying when connectivity degrades, with operators able to override if needed.

Drone swarm technologies are not new globally, but SIRBAI is the first regional firm to bring one to market. Its 40-person engineering team draws on research out of Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute (TII). The company is banking on a software-first model that scales from compact tactical drones to larger unmanned combat aircraft and other platforms as they appear.

TII chief executive Dr. Najwa Aaraj called the launch “an important milestone for the region’s defense technology ecosystem” and said SIRBAI is setting “a new benchmark for resilient, operator-centric mission systems”.

Use cases span surveillance, perimeter protection and manned-unmanned teaming. Gulf militaries are exploring the latter as they modernize command-and-control and attempt to cut cognitive burden in complex missions. A modular architecture also appeals to procurement teams looking to integrate local and imported kit without locking into proprietary hardware.

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SIRBAI chief technology officer Dr. Dario Albani said the platform “enables seamless coordination across manned and unmanned systems,” keeping information flowing in fast-changing missions.

The UAE has been expanding its home-grown defense research as part of wider industrial and digital agendas. Swarm autonomy fits that push, opening room for software, interoperability and secure comms — areas long dominated by Western contractors. UMEX has become a test bed for that shift, drawing interest from Gulf and Asian buyers seeking alternatives to legacy unmanned systems.

With the debut, SIRBAI is positioning Abu Dhabi as an emerging node for advanced autonomous systems and signaling that regional defense suppliers can move beyond hardware assembly into AI-enabled mission software.