Specialized media around the world are discussing a sensation at the Dubai Airshow 2025 — a new strike system based on the low-cost LCCM (Low Cost Cruise Missile) Mk2 developed by the company E-System Solutions. Reports describe it as a joint Belarusian-Emirati project capable of accurately hitting targets at distances of up to 1,000 km. Preparations for range testing are currently under way.
Who stands behind the missile system with its advanced tactical and technical characteristics?
Habib Boukharouba
Reports describe E-System Solutions almost as a startup recently created by Belarusian and Emirati specialists. That is not entirely accurate.
There are few references to the company online, but it is known to have existed at least since 2015, according to the first copy in the Web Archive. The description states that the official website, e-system.ae, was created in 2014, although it is currently unavailable.
The chief executive of E-System Solutions is Habib Boukharouba. According to LinkedIn records, at least four other people also work for the company: Mathieu Zandotti from Abu Dhabi (Junior Analyst); an employee in Dubai listed as an Administration Executive who has hidden his name on LinkedIn; Rayane Kadi from Abu Dhabi (Business Development Manager); and another anonymous employee based in South Carolina holding a Network Support position.
The most notable among them is Habib Boukharouba, a former French Air Force pilot of Algerian origin who entered the arms business in the early 2000s. He previously owned a company called Griffon Aerospace. He still owns a similarly named company registered in the UAE in 2008 — Griffon Aerospace Middle East.
Media outlets refer to Habib Boukharouba as the “father” of the Chadian Air Force.
Idriss Déby, the dictator of this Central African country and also a former pilot trained in France, concluded a contract with Griffon Aerospace in the mid-2000s for the overhaul of one of Chad’s two abandoned PC-7 training aircraft. Chad later acquired another PC-7 on the civilian U.S. market through Habib Boukharouba, as well as a more powerful PC-9 directly from Pilatus in Switzerland.
Using these aircraft, together with roughly 50 French, Mexican and Algerian instructors and ground personnel hired by Griffon Aerospace, the young aviation unit was officially declared an “air force” in 2006 and performed effectively in operations against insurgents.
Boukharouba also arranged for his staff to adapt one Mi-17V-5 transport helicopter and three Mi-24 attack helicopters to carry U.S.-developed Mk.81 and Mk.82 bombs obtained through a French Griffon partner with links to Pakistan. The company modified the cockpits of all three attack helicopters to make them compatible with night-vision goggles that Chad purchased from Israel. Additional acquisitions included Su-25, MiG-29 and Alenia C-27J Spartan aircraft in Ukraine.
In 2008 an unfortunate incident occurred when a journalist reached a Chadian air base near Abéché and photographed the “Swiss” PC-9 of the Chadian Air Force loaded with Mk.81 bombs. The images triggered a scandal in Switzerland, which had sold the aircraft on the condition that the Chadian government would not use it in combat. As a result, all Griffon personnel left Chad by March 2008. Paris later filed a lawsuit against Boukharouba for exporting weapons without official approval. His business in France collapsed, and he was forced to emigrate to the United Arab Emirates.
Successful Business in Dubai
Judging by the publications in the blog of Habib Boukharouba, his companies continue to trade in weapons. The range of armaments is extremely broad, and Mr Boukharouba and his staff present military products as their own developments.
“Strong presence for ESS at Dubai Airshow 2025 this year. Being on-site allowed me to directly support our teams and follow the interest around our latest developments.
ESS showcased several major updates, including the naval configuration of the Delta Mk1/2/3 Light Cruise Missile Eco System, enhancements to our FPV platforms and loitering munitions, the Shadow AI self-protection jammer, our MRO capabilities for legacy fighter aircraft & helicopters, and the DART multi-purpose rocket.
Engaging with partners and visitors throughout the show gave a clear picture of the growing momentum around the ecosystem we’re building internationally,” the company’s Business Development Manager Rayane Kadi wrote in his LinkedIn blog a week ago.
But in the media Habib Boukharouba more often appears in connection with opaque arms deals in various parts of the world.
In 2015 his name was mentioned in relation to a controversial helicopter procurement for Algeria.
In June 2023 Indonesian media reported that E-System Solutions played a key role in an agreement between Qatar and Indonesia on the purchase of 12 Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets and their transfer aboard An-124 Ruslan transport aircraft. Reports described Boukharouba as a successful Dubai-based businessman specialising in the sale and charter of cargo aircraft.
It was claimed that Indonesia’s then Minister of Defence Prabowo Subianto (he became the country’s president in 2024) was a business partner of Habib Boukharouba. The deal ultimately collapsed.
Belarusian Link
We were unable to find direct evidence indicating that any Belarusian citizen holds a stake in, or otherwise has a direct connection to, the Emirati company E-System Solutions. But the products presented by Habib Boukharouba bear a suspicious resemblance to developments of the Belarusian defence industry.
Judge for yourself. The SHADOW AI Land System from E-System Solutions strongly resembles the mobile EW station “T” produced by the state-owned Belspetsvneshtechnika enterprise, while the DART Multi Purpose Rocket appears to be the SAPPHIRE MGU multi-purpose grenade-launching system from the same company. The network-centric tactical two-container strike launcher looks very much like the Shershen anti-tank system, and so on.
One of the most prominent offerings from E-System Solutions in recent months is a modernised version of the Buk-MB2K missile system equipped with the 9M318 missile. A fully operational combat-ready system was presented at a military equipment exhibition in Jakarta, Indonesia, in June 2025. Local media described the developer as a “Minsk-based defence company E-System Solutions,” which operates in Indonesia through its subsidiary PT E-System Solutions Indonesia.
In reality, the actual developer of the Buk-MB2K with the 9M318 missile is the Belarusian company OKB TSP. The system was presented at the MILEX 2025 arms exhibition. It had successfully passed tests back in 2021, and the missile in 2020. In 2025 the system entered service with the Belarusian Armed Forces.
The explanation may lie in the fact that in July 2025 the research and production company OKB TSP was included in the EU’s 18th sanctions package, and business relations with such a partner could create difficulties for the Indonesian authorities. It is worth noting that Belspetsvneshtechnika is also under sanctions.
Thus, E-System Solutions appears more like a conduit for circumventing sanctions than a competent manufacturer of a wide range of weapons.
“Sensational” Cruise Missile
“The Emirati-Belarusian company E-System Solutions has unveiled its latest strike system based on the low-cost LCCM Mk2 cruise missile. This innovation is built on experience from the war in Ukraine and reflects the growing demand for economical yet precise munitions capable of effectively targeting personnel and critical infrastructure,” specialised media wrote with enthusiasm.
Ukrainian, Russian and leading Belarusian media quickly picked up the “sensation”.
The reported technical specifications of the system are as follows:
- Length: 3.15 metres
- Wingspan: 2.5 metres
- Maximum take-off weight: 122 kg
- Dry weight: 38 kg
- Fuel tank capacity: 48 litres (34 kg)
- Payload: 25–50 kg (depending on flight range)
- Range: 500–1,000 km
- Flight speed: 220–600 km/h
- Maximum flight altitude: 11,500 metres
- G-load tolerance: from +4g to -3g
Even to us — ordinary journalists — these specifications appear impressive. There is also a dual guidance system combining an inertial navigation system with electro-optical terminal guidance, along with multiple launch platforms and warhead options.
E-System Solutions confirmed that the development stage of the LCCM Mk2 strike system has been completed and that combat tests are scheduled for the near future.
But let us take a closer look at what the developers themselves have said about their product. Indeed, nine months ago the head of the company reported the start of integration of an electronic-warfare jammer and the beginning of flight tests on their low-budget cruise missile. The flight tests were supposed to take place at the end of 2025.
Based on the photos, one can conclude that E-System Solutions attempted to manufacture the missile as a single prototype. And the missile has not yet had the chance to fly.
Media outlets suggested that the Emirati company is attempting to legitimise the export of Russian-designed systems in order to circumvent sanctions. Publications also noted that Belarus does not possess such technologies.
Conspiracy Theories
It is difficult not to notice that the latest foreign-policy breakthroughs of Belarus’s unrecognised president Alexander Lukashenka coincide with the areas of activity of former French pilot — now fully fledged arms baron — Habib Boukharouba.
In July 2025 Indonesia’s president (and long-time business partner of Boukharouba) Prabowo Subianto, returning from Paris, unexpectedly landed in Belarus and met with Alexander Lukashenka. At the time, Reform.news noted that the Indonesian leader was met at Lukashenka’s residence by Siarhei Zeliankevich, an aide to the elder son Viktar Lukashenka. We suggested that Viktar oversees the Indonesian track.
Later it emerged that the visit of President Prabowo Subianto to France — where he was an honoured guest at the 14 July celebrations — proceeded with complications. He unexpectedly cancelled a scheduled dinner with representatives of the French defence sector (including Dassault, Naval Group and Thales), citing the absence of new contracts requiring his personal involvement. The decision puzzled the French side but was officially described as a “format change,” Intelligence Online reported.
It should be noted that Alexander Lukashenka is currently on an overseas tour. After Bishkek he travelled to Myanmar, with which relations are also built on arms trade. The final stop will be Algeria. A coincidence?
Let us assume that Habib Boukharouba is not merely another intermediary for small-scale exports of Belarusian weapons. His ties to national leaders and his proximity to the Western arms business open new opportunities for the Belarusian regime. And the elder son Viktar Lukashenka plays no small role in this.
