Qatar leveraged the opening days of the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX 2026) to formalize two strategic partnerships that underscore the Gulf state’s evolving approach to defence industrialization: a joint venture with the UAE’s EDGE Group focused on advanced technology co-development, and a Memorandum of Understanding with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) centred on battle management software.
The agreements, both channelled through Barzan Holdings – Qatar’s commercial gateway for military industry – can be read as part of Doha’s broader strategic recalibration away from traditional procurement models toward hybrid frameworks…