Escribano Mechanical & Engineering, a leading Spanish company in innovation and technology for the Defence and Security sectors, closed the sale of 516 units of the GUARDIAN 30 remote station to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Army at the beginning of this year. This sale, following the sale of more than 800 small-calibre 12.7mm and 14.5mm stations in 2019, positions the company as an industrial leader in the Arab country. During the recent IDEX exhibition in Abu Dhabi, the Spanish company signed an agreement with the International Golden Group (IGG) to set up a joint venture for the local production of its 30 mm Guardian stations, which will be used to modernise the wheeled and tracked vehicles of the Emirates Army.
GUARDIAN 30 is an automatic system with 2-axis stabilization, which includes two electro-optical systems, offering a great versatility for both day and night operations. Especially designed to be mounted on armored vehicles, this system integrates a 30mm cannon (adaptable to 40mm) MK 44 Bushmaster II (standard or stretch version) or the Russian cannon 2A42 (30mm) and a coaxial 7.62mm machine gun. GUARDIAN 30 has outstanding long range accuracy thanks to its next-gen ballistic calculator, which combined with a modular design and a low profile significantly reduces its radar footprint.
This new contract is part of the Emirati Army’s modernisation programmes to equip its vehicles with small and medium calibre stations, replacing the current manual stations with more advanced remote stations, whose requirements will be expanded in successive phases. In an initial three-year phase, the contract covers the delivery of 516 Guardian 30 remote stations, each equipped with a 30mm cannon and a 7.62mm coaxial gun, as well as two electro-optical systems for targeting and advanced observation. The contract provides for their local manufacture, supporting the Emirati industrial base.
The company, which recently consolidated its leading position in the defence sector in Spain with the acquisition of a 3% stake in Indra, currently has an order book of over €1 billion for defence systems in more than 20 countries worldwide. The company, which has maintained an annual growth rate of more than 35% over the last ten years, has grown from 80 to 700 employees, with an estimated turnover of 140 million euros in 2023. The company’s success and growth are based on the vertical integration of its manufacturing and engineering capabilities, which allows it to have full control over its systems, designed and manufactured entirely in its facilities in Alcalá de Henares.
