"Takes us from agreement to delivery in building a highly capable European propulsion hub," said Hamad Al Marar, describing the completed transaction.
EDGE Group completes acquisition of CMD and takes controlling stake
EDGE Group has completed its acquisition of a controlling stake in CMD, closing the deal in Rome after the two companies signed an agreement in May 2026 at CMD’s plant in Atella, in Italy’s Basilicata region. At the May signing, EDGE struck a deal to acquire 80% of CMD as part of a broader European expansion; CMD’s existing shareholders retain a significant minority stake and will remain in key management roles.
CMD was founded in 1989 by the Negri family and is led by Chief Executive Officer Mariano Negri. The company brings more than 35 years of piston-engine manufacturing experience, designing and developing propulsion systems for automotive, marine and aeronautical use—expertise EDGE plans to apply to unmanned aircraft engines.
Immediate priority: unmanned aerial systems and large-volume engine talks
EDGE says it will use CMD as the base of a European propulsion hub, with unmanned aerial systems engines described as the immediate priority. The companies are already “in talks under way on large-volume orders,” the announcement says. EDGE Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Hamad Al Marar framed the closing as a shift from agreement to delivery and said the partners “will accelerate the development of competitive, export-ready products for our customers.”
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End the scrambleManufacturing, R&D and cross-market ambitions at Atella
EDGE plans to invest heavily in CMD to expand manufacturing capacity and speed up research and development. The investment is set to support CMD’s work on both conventional and next-generation propulsion, with the Atella plant forming the tangible centre of EDGE’s expanded manufacturing base in Europe. CMD will continue to collaborate with its automotive partners and plans to grow that side of its business even as EDGE directs new resources toward unmanned and maritime markets.
Mariano Negri characterised the transaction as a combination of strengths, describing the partnership as bringing together “CMD’s engineering expertise with EDGE’s industrial strength.” The companies will now draw up a joint integration plan intended to maximise synergies while protecting critical know-how.
Links across EDGE’s European strategy and global production MoUs
The CMD acquisition follows EDGE’s establishment of an EDGE Europe structure—launched in Paris in June 2026—under which CMD will serve as the group’s propulsion asset in Europe. The week of that launch, EDGE visited CMD and signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Basilicata Region covering industrial cooperation, knowledge exchange and talent development.
CMD’s propulsion work will sit alongside other EDGE group activities. EDGE’s POWERTECH unit is contributing aircraft engine and propulsion development for unmanned platforms under a production MoU signed with Morocco in October, a deal that sets out potential Moroccan production of small arms and aircraft engines and under which partners are now identifying opportunities with Moroccan companies. The CMD deal also follows EDGE’s completed acquisition of Brazilian aerospace engineering company AKAER on 4 September 2026—both transactions extending EDGE’s overseas acquisitions and investments used to build its supply chain since the group’s formation in 2019.
What this means for Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB), the Basilicata Region, and Moroccan partners
- Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB): EDGE is already discussing the use of CMD’s engines at sea with ADSB, the group’s naval shipbuilding arm, suggesting potential cross-application of CMD’s propulsion technology into maritime platforms.
- Basilicata Region: The MoU signed during EDGE’s June visit commits both sides to industrial cooperation, knowledge exchange and talent development—local priorities that the Atella plant and planned investments aim to reinforce.
- Moroccan partners: Under the POWERTECH production MoU with Morocco, partners are identifying potential Moroccan production of small arms and aircraft engines; the CMD acquisition expands the group’s propulsion capabilities that could feed into those Moroccan opportunities.
The transaction locks a European manufacturing anchor for EDGE’s propulsion plans while keeping CMD’s founders and engineering leadership involved. With large-volume drone engine talks ongoing, the immediate next steps are an integration plan and capital deployment at the Atella site—concrete moves that will determine whether the combined capability translates into the export-ready unmanned and maritime propulsion products EDGE has flagged.
