UAE's EDGE completes development of MK 82 Penetrator munition

The United Arab Emirates has completed development of an aircraft munition designed to strike hardened targets. The MK 82 Penetrator was developed and built in the UAE by LAHAB, the ammunition subsidiary of the Emirati defence and technology group EDGE, according to the manufacturer.

EDGE says the weapon defeated reinforced concrete more than one metre thick during final qualification tests. It also showed no "J effect", meaning it held its trajectory through the target instead of deflecting on impact. The conditions under which the tests were carried out have not been disclosed.

The munition follows the format of the standard MK 82 general-purpose bomb and adds a hardened-target capability without the need for a separate weapon system, EDGE says. The company states it is compatible with NATO-configuration fighters of several generations, variable-geometry strike aircraft, advanced jet trainers and light attack platforms, as well as fifth-generation aircraft cleared to carry the MK 82 general-purpose munition.

It can also be used with EDGE's Al Tariq and Thunder families of modular precision-guided munition conversion kits, which the company says allow precision guidance to be fitted to compatible aircraft weapons. Mohammed Arbabi, chief executive of LAHAB, said the product is intended for hardened reinforced targets and bunkers and expands the end user's capabilities without adding complexity. EDGE describes the MK Penetrator family as part of LAHAB's broader effort to develop munitions domestically and build sovereign capability.