Lodd Autonomous has completed the first test flight of its heavy-lift unmanned aircraft, marking a new step in the UAE’s ambitions to build and export home-grown autonomous aviation technologies.
The demonstration took place in Al Ain during the first Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week, which showcased the emirate’s plans to become a global centre for robotics, advanced mobility and autonomous systems.
The hybrid aircraft, which is named Hili and was designed, engineered and manufactured entirely in Abu Dhabi, can carry payloads of up to 250kg over nearly 700km.
Powered by a modular hybrid propulsion system, Hili is part of the UAE’s push to build complex aviation programmes locally and position itself as a leader in next-generation air cargo.
Rashid Mattar Al Manai, chief executive of Lodd Autonomous, said the flight reflected years of development and a national commitment to building advanced technologies inside the UAE. “It’s a realisation of a national vision to see that design, assembly, production and innovation happen in the UAE,” he told The National following the test.
Mr Al Manai, who has led major aerospace programmes in the country, said delivering an aircraft designed entirely in Abu Dhabi demonstrated that the emirate’s innovation ecosystem was working. “The ecosystem that the leadership have put in Abu Dhabi in terms of education, training and industries, works,” he said.
The UAE plans to accelerate its investment in autonomous logistics. Under the country’s transport strategy, the logistics sector is earmarked to contribute Dh300 billion to the national economy by 2031.
Mr Al Manai said initiatives like Hili will help strengthen the UAE’s position as a regional logistics hub by easing trade flows within the country and speeding up connections with neighbouring markets. The company intends to initially focus on the “middle-mile” segment of cargo transport, the gap between major logistics centres and regional distribution points.
“We have produced and designed this aircraft mainly for the middle-mile logistics … and we are targeting the global market either in Africa, Asia or Europe,” Mr Al Manai said. But scaling autonomous aviation will also depend on public trust, he said, something that grows only with consistent performance and transparency.
“Public trust usually comes with day-to-day operations, so we need to operate these systems daily and reliably,” he said. “We need to communicate to people how decisions are made, how the system is monitored, and if something is wrong, how we respond.”
Looking ahead, he said automation will become even more integrated across transport networks. “In five to 10 years, we will have the AI module augment this autonomous solution,” he said. “You will see one pilot operate more than one aircraft, and you will see AI integrate unmanned aircraft with ground vehicles at the same time to streamline the system.”
The test flight also highlighted the growing international confidence in Abu Dhabi’s innovation ecosystem, supporting the development of advanced aviation systems through close collaboration between government and industry.
This page was produced by The National in partnership with Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week.
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
Recipe: Spirulina Coconut Brothie
Ingredients
1 tbsp Spirulina powder
1 banana
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (full fat preferable)
1 tbsp fresh turmeric or turmeric powder
½ cup fresh spinach leaves
½ cup vegan broth
2 crushed ice cubes (optional)
Method
Blend all the ingredients together on high in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
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New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
