DUBAI — Swedish company Saab is to unveil its first product developed in the United Arab Emirates at the International Defence Exhibition and Conference, taking place Feb. 21-25.
The Rugged Camera Module-Infrared, or RCAM-IR, is a “rugged camera platform, designed to withstand the harshest environments,” according to Anna-Karin Rosén, a managing director at Saab. She added that the real-time camera was specifically built for driver’s vision enhancer technology, which is used to improve situational awareness.
The camera is the first of many such products Saab hopes to develop in the UAE as part of the company’s objective to support the nation and regional manufacturers with advanced electronic products, according to a Feb. 17 company statement.
“The RCAM-IR is the result of an important collaboration with Marakeb Technologies,” Rosén told Defense News, referring to a UAE-based manufacturer of manned boats and unmanned land, naval and aerial systems. “Saab is committed to work with local partners to create world-class Emirati defense and security solutions for national needs and for the global market.”
The RCAM-IR can be used on platforms ranging from four-wheel drive vehicles to main battle tanks, Rosén added.
The increased situational awareness provided by the camera is meant to be part of a larger self-protection suite designed to mitigate threats to crews and armored vehicles.
According to Saab, it first began business in the UAE in the 1980s. But the company’s footprint notably expanded in December 2017 when it set up a development and production center in Abu Dhabi’s Tawazun Industrial Park. The facility initially focused on sensor systems but has since expanded to other defense and security products.
Agnes Helou was a Middle East correspondent for Defense News. Her interests include missile defense, cybersecurity, the interoperability of weapons systems and strategic issues in the Middle East and Gulf region.
