A potential deal, under which Ukrainian manufacturer of Flamingo missiles could be valued at approximately $2.5 billion, has been temporarily suspended.
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) has returned for further processing the application of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) defense holding EDGE Group, which intended to acquire 30% of the Ukrainian manufacturer of long-range drones and missiles, including Flamingo, Fire Point. Thus, the potential deal, under which the company could be valued at approximately $2.5 billion, has been temporarily suspended. Dengi.ua reports this with reference to the publication “Forbes Ukraine”. The PromPolitInform portal informs.
It is noted that the EDGE Group holding filed a request for permission to purchase a stake in Fire Point on December 30, 2025. The company belongs to the sovereign wealth fund of the UAE and was established in November 2019. The holding company includes about 35 enterprises operating in both the civilian and defense sectors, including the production of missile weapons, weapons systems, and the development of space and cyber technologies.
It is reported that, according to the publication’s sources, the practice of returning applications is used quite often by the Antimonopoly Committee – in this way the regulator can get additional time to analyze complex transactions. In a number of large transactions, the period between the first and re-submission of documents ranged from 53 to 77 days.
One of the reasons for returning the application could be the nature of the technologies possessed by Fire Point. This concerns the development of rocket engines, and the transfer of control to a foreign investor can be regarded as a potential hidden transfer of strategically important technologies. For a similar reason, difficulties previously arose around the attempt of the Chinese Beijing Skyrizon to gain control of Motor Sich.
It is also reported that one of the co-owners of a Ukrainian defense company operating outside the competitive segment with Fire Point suggests that the parties may have received advice on the impossibility of carrying out the deal in its current form. In this case, investors may start changing the structure of the deal.
In addition, sources note that the decision to pause could have been influenced by changes in the geopolitical situation in the Middle East.
According to the publication, experts and market participants do not rule out various options for further developments. The return of the application does not mean a final rejection of the deal: it may be revised, changed in structure or temporarily postponed. At the same time, EDGE Group’s interest in the development of long-range weapons, according to market participants, is unlikely to disappear, especially against the backdrop of the tense situation in the region.
It is also recalled that the possible investment was first reported by BBC News Ukraine with reference to sources in the company. According to the publication, the holding planned to acquire 30% for approximately $760 million, which implies an assessment of the entire company at about $2.5 billion.
At the same time, as reported, Ukrainian partners will be able to train artificial intelligence for drones using the combat experience of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
