Berlin Air Show Day Two: MBDA Unveils Laser-Missile Hybrid, UAE's EDGE Group Plants Flag in Paris, Air Defense Demand Surges

MBDA presented a hybrid air defense platform at the Berlin Air Show on June 11 that pairs its DEWS-L high-energy laser turret with the company's DEFENDAIR guided missile interceptor, according to Breaking Defense. The design logic is straightforward: the laser handles close-range threats cheaply, the missile handles what the laser can't reach, and the "overlapping engagement envelopes" cover the gap where either system alone would fail.

MBDA says the platform is specifically aimed at "small, fast, and low-cost unmanned aerial threats" — the class of weapon that has made conventional air defense economics painful in both Ukraine and Gaza. Israel's Iron Beam has reportedly reached operational deployment, and the UK's DragonFire, which MBDA helped develop, demonstrated live target intercepts at a Scottish test range in 2024 at an estimated cost of under £10 ($13) per shot. MBDA is positioning DEWS-L and DEFENDAIR in that same cost-per-kill argument.

Thomas Gottschild, managing director at MBDA Germany, told reporters that demand for conventional munitions has "exploded" because of the two active conflict zones, and that restocking depleted stockpiles will take considerable time — a challenge for the industry, but also "an opportunity," in his words. He also noted that Germany has been shifting some procurement focus from air defense toward precision strike, though he did not specify which German programs are affected.

The company says the system could enter service with Germany before the end of the decade. No contract has been announced, and no price has been disclosed publicly.

EDGE Group Moves Into Europe With a Paris Address

UAE-based defense conglomerate EDGE Group announced the launch of EDGE Europe, a "fully European commercial enterprise" registered in France and headquartered in the Chaillot district of central Paris, per Breaking Defense. A second site in Bordeaux will handle design, integration, and manufacturing.

EDGE Chairman Faisal Al Bannai described Paris as a "deliberate mark" of the UAE-France relationship. The firm has been building European footholds since its founding in November 2019 — it holds majority stakes in Italian engine maker CMD, Swiss unmanned helicopter manufacturer Anavia, and Estonian unmanned ground vehicle producer Milrem Robotics.

EDGE CEO Hamad Al Marar said in a November 2025 interview with Breaking Defense that the long-term goal is for export sales to make EDGE "self-sufficient" — covering essentially all company expenses. EDGE Europe is the structural bet on making that happen in the world's fastest-growing defense market right now.

The Strongest Counterargument

Skeptics of the MBDA hybrid system have a reasonable point: laser weapons have been "almost ready" for operational deployment for decades, and the actual fielding record in Western Europe remains thin. DragonFire's 2024 Scottish test was impressive, but a controlled test range is not a battlefield, and integrating a directed-energy weapon with a guided missile system adds logistical complexity that hasn't been stress-tested in combat conditions. If Germany commits procurement funds to DEWS-L/DEFENDAIR before those questions are answered, it risks buying a capability gap rather than filling one.

MBDA's own timeline — "before the end of the decade" — gives the company roughly three to four years to resolve it. Whether Berlin's procurement cycle moves fast enough to demand answers before signing is a different question.

What the Show Floor Looks Like on Day Two

Beyond the headline announcements, Breaking Defense's photo coverage from June 11 shows a Space Day component at ILA, with models and satellite displays alongside the weapons hardware. Rolls-Royce displayed a concept powerplant for Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Virginia-based FIXAR showed its FIXAR 025 electric VTOL drone. Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger and Boeing Australia Managing Director Amy List were photographed together in front of Boeing's MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone on June 10 — a pairing that tracks with Rheinmetall's ongoing push to build autonomous wingman capability in Europe.

Ukraine's defense industry also has a presence at the show, still actively courting investment after more than four years of active combat experience — arguably the most credible live-fire testing ground for any drone or counter-drone technology on display this week.

Whether demand signals described by Gottschild — exploding conventional munitions needs, shifting German procurement priorities, European sovereign capability anxiety — will translate into signed contracts at ILA 2026 remains unclear. Previous European defense expos have seen announcements stay at the concept and MOU level.