The Shadow 3 counter-unmanned aerial vehicle system displayed on an Ajban 442A fitted with mock-up radar antennas at the International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX) 2025 in February. (Janes/Christopher Petrov)
The United Arab Emirates' (UAE's) Edge defence group released a video on 19 March showing the recently unveiled Shadow 3 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) being used as a ground-attack weapon.
The promotional video was made up of a combination of computer-generated imagery (CGI) and footage of an actual Shadow 3 flying and hitting two stacked shipping containers, but not taking off.
The Shadow 3 was unveiled during the International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX) held in Abu Dhabi in February, where a model was displayed partially protruding from one of three vertical-launch canisters mounted on the back of an Ajban tactical vehicle.
While the entire munition could not be seen, the Edge website has images showing it has two sets of cruciform wings. Unusually, electrically driven pusher and puller propellers are mounted on the ends of the smaller forward wings, enabling the UAV to take off vertically.
The video included close-up footage of what appeared to be an actual Shadow 3 that showed that these wings are mounted on pivots to steer the UAV. The video also used CGI to show the larger rear wings folding back into flight position after launch.
Looking to read the full article?
Gain unlimited access to Janes news and more...
