At UMEX 2026, the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) pavilion highlighted the latest innovation from Emirati company SteerAI, the council’s commercial arm specializing in autonomous mobility systems. The spotlight was on the XRIFT autonomous ground vehicle, designed to perform challenging land missions across desert environments and rugged terrains throughout the UAE.
The XRIFT vehicle can carry a variety of payloads, including unmanned aerial vehicles, logistical supplies, and mission-specific equipment. It is capable of fully autonomous operation in harsh environments without human intervention, while also allowing immediate human control and rapid reactivation of its autonomous system when needed.
Omar Hafa, Head of Operations at SteerAI, explained that the development process took five to six years, with all vehicle engineering carried out domestically, establishing the XRIFT as a sovereign advanced technology designed to serve both local and international markets.
Hafa further noted that the BUD-E vehicle, one of the XRIFT platforms, is an advanced all-terrain ground vehicle already widely deployed in the UAE. It has been converted into a fully autonomous platform by removing human-operated controls and integrating a complete autonomous driving system with advanced sensors and computing units, enabling Level 4 autonomy in challenging operational scenarios.
This showcase underscores the UAE’s growing capabilities in autonomous vehicle technologies and its commitment to developing homegrown innovations for both national security and commercial applications.
