Unmanned systems,documented.
Qai Drones designs and manufactures autonomous aircraft in the Emirates — the multi-mission Eqab 1 in active civil service, and the Shaheen 1 interceptor in development. This file is the company, on paper.
- Project
- Eqab 1 · Shaheen 1
- Drawn by
- 9 founding engineers
- Program
- L2 active · L3 in development
- Location
- United Arab Emirates
- DOC
- QD-2026-001
REV C
We build the airframe, the autonomy, and the supply chain beneath both.
Qai Drones is the aerial-systems venture of the QAI TECH group: a UAE company building unmanned aircraft the way an aerospace prime builds them — from documented requirements, on a sovereign supply chain, with the autonomy engineered in-house.
The program is assembled in three layers. Components first, aircraft second, defense systems last — because a capability bought whole is a capability owned by someone else.
- L3
Security & defense systems
Defensive aerial systems led by the Shaheen 1 interceptor and the Autonomous Hunter System.
In development - L2
Civil aircraft manufacturing
Design and manufacture of multi-mission civil aircraft, led by Eqab 1 — for commercial, industrial and emergency operators.
Active program - L1
Sovereign component supply
A reliable supply chain for drone components inside the UAE — the stratum every aircraft above it stands on.
Building
Eqab 1
Active programMulti-Mission Aerial Platform (MAP)
One airframe. Every civilian mission.
Eqab 1 is a multi-purpose quadcopter built to adapt. A dual sensor head pairs a high-resolution camera with a thermal imager, feeding a flexible onboard AI computer that is re-tasked per mission — the computer is swapped for the job, not the aircraft. Survey a field at dawn, search a coastline at night, or fly a delivery between hospitals.
Dual-sensor gimbal
High-resolution RGB and thermal imagers on a common stabilised mount, fused by the onboard AI computer.
- MSN-01
Agriculture & crop mapping
Crop-health mapping and farm monitoring with fused thermal and high-resolution imaging.
- MSN-02
Facility monitoring
Persistent overwatch of farms, sites and civilian facilities — day and night.
- MSN-03
Search & rescue
Thermal search across terrain and coastline to locate people when minutes matter.
- MSN-04
Emergency medical delivery
Rapid airborne transport of medical supplies and samples between hospitals.
Eqab 1 — technical specification.
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Configuration | Quadcopter, X-frame |
| Role | Civil multi-mission |
| Primary sensing | High-res RGB + thermal imager |
| Sensor mount | Stabilised dual gimbal |
| Compute | Flexible onboard AI module |
| Tasking | Mission-programmable autonomy |
| Operation | Day / night |
| Operators | Commercial · industrial · emergency |
Values are program targets under field validation; the datasheet is revised with each flight campaign.
Most aircraft land at sunset.
Ours change shifts.
The night pages of this file follow.
Shaheen 1
In developmentAutonomous Hunter System (AHS)
An interceptor that thinks at the edge.
Shaheen 1 is an autonomous interceptor quadcopter designed to detect, track and engage hostile aerial targets. A forward thermal camera feeds an onboard NVIDIA Jetson module running the targeting loop in real time — the decision happens on the aircraft, in the air, in milliseconds. Low, slow and cheap threats are met on the right side of the cost curve.
- T+00 DETECT
Thermal acquisition
The forward thermal sensor picks the heat signature of an incoming aircraft out of the sky — passive, day or night, with no emission to give the interceptor away.
SENSOR · FORWARD THERMAL - T+01 TRACK
Edge AI lock
The onboard module classifies the contact and holds a continuous track, predicting its path frame by frame while the airframe closes the distance.
COMPUTE · JETSON EDGE AI - T+02 INTERCEPT
Autonomous engagement
Once locked, the self-directed targeting system commits and drives the engagement to completion — the entire loop closed on the aircraft.
MODE · AUTONOMOUS
- Configuration
- Interceptor quadcopter
- Primary sensor
- Forward thermal camera
- Compute
- NVIDIA Jetson module
- Targeting
- Autonomous, onboard
- Role
- Counter-UAS interception
Two aircraft, one engineering base.
The same airframe discipline, sensing stack and edge autonomy serve two mandates — read side by side.
| Parameter | Eqab 1 · MAP | Shaheen 1 · AHS |
|---|---|---|
| Mandate | Civil multi-mission | Counter-UAS defense |
| Status | Active program | In development |
| Configuration | Quadcopter, X-frame | Quadcopter, X-frame |
| Sensing | RGB + thermal, gimballed | Forward thermal, fixed |
| Compute | Flexible AI module | NVIDIA Jetson |
| Autonomy | Mission-programmable | Self-directed targeting |
| Operation | Day / night | Day / night |
| Operator | Commercial · emergency | Security · defense |
Shaheen 1 values are preliminary pending flight test.
The program, by revision.
| Rev | Period | Record | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| REV A | 2026 | Company formation under QAI TECH — nine founding engineers. | Issued |
| REV B | 2026 | L1 sovereign component supply chain buildout inside the UAE. | Building |
| REV C | 2026 | Eqab 1 civil program active — multi-mission validation across agriculture, monitoring, SAR and delivery. | Active |
| REV D | Planned | Shaheen 1 flight-test campaign — Autonomous Hunter System qualification. | Planned |
Nine engineers, one file.
Qai Drones is built by a founding team of nine spanning autonomy, embedded AI, airframe, thermal sensing and quality — engineers who would rather build the hard thing than the obvious one.
- Autonomy & flight control Guidance, navigation and control.
- Embedded & edge AI Onboard perception, tracking, targeting.
- Airframe & integration Mechanical design, propulsion, systems.
- Thermal & sensing Imaging pipeline under field conditions.
Request the full technical file.
Qai Drones works with commercial, emergency, security and government partners across the region. Write to the program office for the complete file on Eqab 1, Shaheen 1, and the road ahead.
- Program office
- contact@qai-technology.com
- Parent group
- QAI TECH · qai-technology.com
- Location
- United Arab Emirates
- Domains
- Government · commercial · emergency