Edge Group Invests In Polish Light Jet Developer Flaris

DUBAI—UAE defense conglomerate Edge Group has taken a 50% stake in Polish light jet developer Flaris.

Edge announced the Flaris investment on Nov. 11 in the run-up to the Dubai Airshow here.

As part of the deal, the two companies will establish a joint venture, enabling Edge to further develop Flaris’ portfolio.

Flaris has developed a five-seat, single-pilot, single-engine light business jet, called Lar 1, which made its first flight in April 2019.

The Polish company markets the Williams International FJ-33-5A turbofan-engine aircraft as a “new category of personal jet” capable of operating from grass airstrips and featuring lower operating costs compared with competing aircraft.

The Lar 1 is the first new, indigenously designed aircraft to emerge from Poland in decades. Once a powerhouse of aircraft design and development, production of many Polish-developed aircraft has either been frozen or ceased entirely with much of Polish aerospace manufacturing now in the hands of Western OEMs.

Edge claims the investment “seamlessly integrates” into its expanding portfolio. Edge is particularly interested in the option of turning the light jet into an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS).

Flaris has previously marketed the aircraft at the MSPO defense exhibition in Poland for potential military roles, including as an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform or even a light combat aircraft. The company notes that the aircraft’s wings can be quickly removed for transport in a container or a military transport aircraft such as a C-130 Hercules.

Mansour AlMulla, Edge’s managing director and CEO, says integrating Flaris into Edge will “add significant value” to Edge’s high-tech portfolio.

“We anticipate the opportunities this strategic investment and joint venture brings, particularly in transforming current aviation technologies into unmanned systems,” AlMulla says.

Rafał Ładziński, CEO of Flaris and the designer of the Lar 1, says linking with Edge marks a “major milestone” for Flaris.

“Their planned developments, especially in autonomous flight and advanced engine technology, align perfectly with our mission of pushing the boundaries of what personal jets can achieve. Our combined expertise will undoubtedly pave the way for further advancements in the aerospace industry,” Ładziński says.

The investment in Flaris comes just days after Edge announced investments in Swiss rotary-wing UAS developer Anavia and weeks after taking a 50% stake in Brazilian weapons company SIATT. In August the Emirati company also signed a strategic agreement with Turbomachine, a Brazilian manufacturer of turbine engines.