United Arab Emirates
After generations of British Rule, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was formed as an independent country in 1971. The Emirates are made up of seven hereditary enclaves that together enjoy vast oil wealth. However, the UAE remains a terror finance concern, given some of its lax laws and the “hawalas” that operate on its soil. Unlike much of the Middle East and North Africa, the country did not face major protests in recent years related to the Arab Spring. Behind Saudi Arabia, the UAE is the highest military spender among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations.
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Population5,628,805
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GDP$358.9 Billion
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Fit for Service3,072,125
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Military EXHD6.4% of GDP
US to Increase Support for Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen to Resist ‘Iran’s Mischief’
The United States is looking to increase support for the Saudi-led coalition battling Houthi rebels in Yemen with intelligence-sharing and logistical support but it will not send American troops to combat the Iranian-backed fighters, U.S. officials said Wednesday. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis during a visit to Saudi Arabia accused Iran of playing a destabilizing role […]
Inter Coastal Electronics Awarded $10 Million to Provide Apache Simulation Hardware to the UAE
Inter Coastal Electronics Inc.,* Mesa, Arizona, was awarded a $9,798,027 firm-fixed-price, foreign military sales (United Arab Emirates) contract to procure Longbow Apache Tactical Engagement Simulation System hardware, spares, new equipment training, contractor logistics support and repair/return. Bids were solicited via the Internet with one received. Work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona, and United Arab […]
US Lawmakers Urge Trump on Reaper Sales to Jordan, UAE
A bipartisan group of nearly two dozen lawmakers is calling for the Trump administration to allow sales of armed unmanned systems to Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. The lawmakers appealed to U.S. President Donald Trump to depart from the Obama administration’s opposition to sending the MQ-9 Reaper to those Middle Eastern nations. The Trump […]
Saudi-Led Antiterror Coalition Sharpens Its Focus
A Saudi-led coalition force of 41 countries is now taking shape and has found a focus: protecting member nations against the threat from Islamic State as the militant group’s strongholds in Iraq and Syria disintegrate. The coalition, sometimes referred to as the “Muslim NATO,” is expected to have its first substantive meeting over the next […]
Trump Considers Military Push in Yemen War. US Lawmakers Push Back
Amid reports President Trump is considering more American military help for the Saudi-led fight in Yemen, U.S. lawmakers are urging caution, if not an about-face. Four U.S. senators have offered legislation to limit arms sales to Riyadh over its troubled Yemen campaign. Fifty-five members of the U.S. House called on Trump in a letter to end both U.S. […]
Raytheon Awarded $23 Million to Provide Patriot Missile Support to Israel, Qatar, Kuwait, Others
Raytheon Co., Andover, Massachusetts, was awarded a $23,044,183 cost-plus-fixed-fee, foreign military sales (Israel, Qatar, Kuwait, Japan, Korea, Republic of Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, Luxembourg and Saudi Arabia) contract for support necessary to execute PATRIOT Field Surveillance program to include missile assessments, testing, recertification, and repair activities. Bids were solicited via the Internet with one received. […]
Raytheon Awarded $27 Million to Provide Hawk Missile Support to Egypt, Bahrain, Turkey, Others
Raytheon Co., Andover, Massachusetts, was awarded a $26,661,098 cost-plus-fixed-fee, foreign military sales (Japan, Egypt, Spain, Singapore, Bahrain, Turkey, Jordan, and United Arab Emirates) contract to provide engineering, product assurance, documentation, configuration management support, and logistics services to resolve problems related to the deployed Homing All the Way Killer (HAWK) missile system to foreign military customers. […]
Israeli Air Force Holds Joint Exercise With United Arab Emirates, U.S. and Italy
The Israel Air Force began a joint exercise on Monday in Greece that included dozens of aircraft from foreign armies. Dubbed Iniohos 2017, an official report for the Greek air force noted that the air forces of Israel, the United States, the United Arab Emirates and Italy participated in the exercise. The training patch for […]
Lockheed Martin Wins $11.7 Million to Provide THAAD Ground Components to the UAE
Lockheed Martin Corp., Sunnyvale, California, is being awarded an $11,770,930 modification (#BX) contract type, cost-plus-incentive-fee, to previously awarded contract HQ0147-12-G-9000 0001 for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Terminal High Altitude Area Defense ground components under UAE foreign military sales (FMS) case number AE-B-UAF. The value of this contract is increased from $429,254,563 to $441,025,493. This […]
US Considers Supporting Saudi-led Coalition Plan to Capture Yemen Port
The Pentagon is considering throwing its weight behind an Arab military plan to capture a Red Sea port in Yemen as part of a move to step up its support for the Saudi-led coalition that has fought a two-year war against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Senior officials said it was part of a new stance adopted […]
The Saudi-led Coalition Is Not Ready to Fight the Islamic State
President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Ashton Carter visited Saudi Arabia last week hoping to reassure nervous Gulf allies that American security commitments remain in force in the wake of last year’s Iran nuclear deal. In exchange, the White House was hoping to encourage the Gulf states to play a more active role in the […]
The Mideast’s Precision Guided Arms Race
Precision guided munitions (PGMs) encompass a growing range of bombs and missiles designed to destroy targets on land, at sea, or in the air. While platforms like fighters, armored vehicles, and warships often receive more attention, their lethality is almost negligible if not bolstered by advanced munitions. With minor updates, today’s PGMs allow even older […]
The Camp David Summit: Major or Modest Moves in U.S.-Gulf Ties?
In the run up to Thursday’s summit at Camp David, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had predicted that “we are fleshing out a series of new commitments that will create… a new security understanding” to “take us beyond anything that we have had before.” Yet President Obama had outlined a much more limited objective, […]
IDEX 2015: Middle East Arms Market Remains Strong
With the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS) and an increasingly aggressive Iran, Gulf Arab states are spending billions to improve their defenses and better protect their energy infrastructure. Nowhere has this been more evident than last month’s International Defense Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi. The region’s largest defense exhibition attracted officials from […]
French Deployments in the Middle East and North Africa
France is conducting multiple operations against Islamist militant groups throughout the Middle East and North Africa. This map displays the largest French deployments underway in the region. View the full map here. Sahel As part of Operation Barkhane, the French have 3,000 troops deployed across the Sahel region. Their mission is assist the countries of Mauritania, Mali, […]
The Coalition’s High Wire Act in Syria: Striking ISIS and Avoiding the Regime
When coalition pilots penetrated Syrian airspace early Tuesday morning, it was unclear if they would just strike Islamic State targets or clash with the Syrian regime. Though Syria was warned prior to the attack, it was unclear if Bashir al-Assad would follow through on his threat to consider any operation in Syria as an act of aggression. In fact, […]
An Edge in the Desert
Weapons are pouring into the Middle East at an unprecedented rate. The Pentagon recently announced that it would sell six tilt-rotor Osprey aircraft to Israel for $1.3 billion, American hardware (including Apache helicopters) is being rushed to the Iraqi government to help in its battle against al Qaeda, and Washington has also restored military aid to Egypt after a brief hiatus. But Uncle […]
Category Name
↓
QME
↓
↑
Active Armaments
On Order
↓
Air Defense Systems
724* (0)
↓
↓
Active Armaments
↓
-
20*
-
40*
-
100*
-
13*
-
400*
Aircraft 495* (225*)
-
29
-
29*
-
0 (67*)
-
0 (23)
-
7
-
25
-
17
-
61
-
73 (30)
-
0 (24)
-
1 (23)
-
1* (9*)
-
0 (8)
-
10
-
7
-
40*
-
2*
-
31
-
0 (2)
-
6 (2)
-
2
-
1
-
4
-
1
-
2
-
4
-
2
-
2
-
4
-
0 (10)
-
6
-
2
-
0 (4)
-
7
-
3
-
7
-
1
-
25
-
12
-
3
-
20
-
3
-
4
-
17 (5)
-
0 (6)
-
2
-
0 (3)
-
6
-
8
-
8 (9)
Artillery 407 (12)
-
85
-
20
-
30
-
56
-
78
Ground Vehicles 2,117 (7,600)
-
44 (3,316)
-
80
-
16
-
590
-
105
-
0 (100)
-
32
-
10
-
50 (794)
-
250
-
100
-
10
-
100 (2,200)
-
24
-
70
-
24
-
30
-
20
-
75
-
0 (1,150)
-
20
-
10
-
5 (40)
-
64
-
388
Guided Munitions 18,451* (16,066)
-
267*
-
715*
-
500*
-
120*
-
500*
-
90*
-
40*
-
90*
-
24*
-
12*
-
1,000* (260)
-
50*
-
230*
-
0 (300)
-
600*
-
100* (100)
-
600*
-
0 (216)
-
0 (5,000)
-
100*
-
600* (1,000)
-
304*
-
1,500* (3,240)
-
1,100* (750)
-
3,000*
-
250*
-
1,000*
-
700*
-
500* (4,000)
-
0 (1,200)
-
500*
-
3,500*
-
300*
-
159*
Personnel 51,000 (0)
Ships 90 (14)
-
6
-
34
-
0 (8)
-
24