Top-performing Emirati interns at Lockheed Martin showcased their work on advanced technology projects to senior UAE defense industry officials. ?
Presenting the outcomes of their summer internships at Lockheed Martin’s Center for Innovation and Security Solutions (CISS) in Masdar City, the UAE university students demonstrated real-world aerospace solutions they created to leaders from Tawazun Economic Council (Tawazun), the UAE’s defense and security industry enabler, and EDGE, the advanced technology group for defense and beyond.?
Interns from the summer program’s artificial intelligence (AI) team, which drew students from Tawazun’s SEEDS (Sustain & Enhance Emiratization in Defense and Security) initiative, showcased a breakthrough solution for enhanced aircraft inspection that was developed remotely with mentors from Lockheed Martin’s Aeronautics division in Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States. The students created an AI neural network to detect paint and primer defects on aircraft for use on crawler drones that carry out inspections on platforms such as the C-130 and the F-16. The solution will deliver significant time and cost savings compared to an otherwise lengthy process of inspecting defects on aircraft wings and fuselages by hand.
Matar Al Romaithi, Chief Economic Development Officer at Tawazun, said: “At Tawazun, we aim to support the development of essential, qualified human capital for the benefit of the defense and technology industries. This summer, Tawazun is very proud to have partnered with Lockheed Martin in shaping this defense and technology specialist summer internship program in tandem with our SEEDS initiative. We look forward to strengthening this collaboration and to achieving many more successful outcomes in the years to come.”?
He added, “Tawazun has implemented many initiatives in cooperation with local and international strategic partners to support and enhance human capital and supply this vital sector with trained national energies and capabilities qualified in various technical and engineering disciplines”.
“This summer, Tawazun is very proud to have partnered with Lockheed Martin in shaping this defense and technology specialist summer internship program in tandem with our SEEDS initiative. We look forward to strengthening this collaboration and to achieving many more successful outcomes in the years to come.”
Our commitment to building the capacity of the UAE’s local workforce remains as strong as ever, and we look forward to working more closely with Tawazun and EDGE to continue to nurture Emirati talent in the aerospace and defense sector moving forward.”