EDGE Group DS-16

History

The Desert Sting 16 (DS-16) is a precision-guided glide weapon developed and manufactured in the United Arab Emirates by Halcon, a subsidiary of EDGE Group. On January 17, 2024, EDGE and Baykar agreed to integrate the DS-16 onto the Bayraktar TB2; the weapon has since been integrated for UAE-operated drones. On October 9, 2026, Morocco's Administration of National Defence signed a contract with EDGE at the Marrakech Air Show to procure the DS-16 for integration across the Royal Moroccan Air Force's unmanned combat aerial vehicle fleet. The agreement covers ammunition deliveries, aircraft modifications, weapon control software, integration, and long-term support. The contract value, ammunition quantities, specific recipient aircraft, and delivery schedule remain undisclosed.

Specifications

The DS-16 measures 1,000 mm in length, 129 mm in diameter, and 323 mm across its widest section. Its gross weight is 23 kg, of which the 12 kg warhead represents 52.2% of total mass. Guidance employs GNSS-assisted inertial navigation (GAINS), with an optional semi-active laser (SAL) seeker improving accuracy from a 10 m circular error probable (CEP) with GAINS alone to 3 m with GAINS plus SAL. The maximum range of 15 km is achieved from a release at 30,000 ft (9,144 m) altitude at 220 knots calibrated airspeed. The weapon supports impact and height-of-burst detonation.

Halcon's Quad Rack carries four DS-16 weapons and weighs 45 kg, producing a 137 kg assembly measuring 1,880 × 435 × 200 mm with MIL-STD-1760 electrical connections. The four-weapon loadout of 92 kg represents 61.3% of the Bayraktar TB2's 150 kg payload capacity, rising to 137 kg (91.3%) with the rack.

Operators

United Arab Emirates — Operates the DS-16 on its drone fleet following integration completed after the January 2024 EDGE–Baykar agreement.

Morocco — The Royal Moroccan Air Force contracted EDGE on October 9, 2026, to integrate the DS-16 across its UCAV fleet, which includes at least 19 Bayraktar TB2s, Chinese Wing Loongs, and Bayraktar Akincis. Aircraft-specific carriage, separation, and release certification will determine which configurations are operationally deployed.