GM Defense is set to work on the development of new-age military vehicles for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following the signing of a collaborative Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tawazun Council, a UAE government entity.
The partnership will see GM Defense produce vehicles to military, security, and government customers from the UAE and the broader region. The MoU will also encompass cooperative research and development, regional production and assembly, post-production support and global logistics on integrated vehicles with electric and fuel cell powertrains, as well as advanced autonomous and connectivity technologies.
“Our collaboration with Tawazun Council is an important step in expanding our reach to defense and government customers in the Middle East,” GM Defense president Steve duMont said of the deal. “We are committed to building long-term, lasting relationships in the region and to delivering solutions featuring some of the most advanced, commercially proven technologies that offer reliability and flexibility. With this MOU in place, we can more effectively help our global customers transition to a more electric, autonomous and connected future.”
This MoU marks the first partnership for GM Defense in the Middle East and comes after the formation of GM Defense International last year.
“Today’s agreement marks an important, new relationship that further strengthens our nation’s domestic defense industrial base while offering new opportunities for an expanding technology development and supply partnership with GM Defense,” added Tawazun Council chief executive Shareef Al Hashmi.
The company has been primarily focused on the U.S. market since its formation in 2017. Last month, it won a joint contract with American Rheinmetall Vehicles to build the HX3 Common Tactical Truck (HX3-CTT) for the U.S. Army.
