UAE gets USD 200 billion worth of US-made Predator drones

Iran Press TV

Tue Feb 19, 2013 3:57PM GMT

The United Arab Emirates has signed 17 defense contracts to purchase military equipment worth USD1.4 billion, including US manufactured Predator drones.

"The total value of today's contracts has reached 5.2 billion dirhams' (USD1.42 billion), Major General Obaid al-Ketabi, chairman of the ongoing International Defense Exhibition & Conference (IDEX), said on Monday.

Ketabi added that one of the contracts has been signed with the US firm General Atomics for the purchase of Predator drones with complete integrated logistic support systems. The contract is valued at 722 million dirhams (USD196 million).

The general said that the contracts also included a deal for the purchase of Turkish CIRIT laser-guided rockets worth 720 million dirhams (USD196.2 million).

The largest deal, worth 1.4 billion dirhams (USD 382 million), was for 750 mine-resistant, ambush-protected, all-terrain vehicles from Oshkosh Corp.

Other UAE military contracts were awarded to Russia's KBP which got a 472.7 million dirham (nearly USD 130 million) deal to supply ammunition. Local defense firm Tawazun won a 720 million dirham (USD 196 million) contract to procure laser guided rockets.

IDEX is Middle East's biggest defense show and is held every two years in Abu Dhabi.

In December 2012, the UAE signed a contract for buying 60 Eurofighter Typhoon jets from British arms giant BAE Systems.

The contract was promoted by British Prime Minister David Cameron during a visit.

The United States is the biggest supplier of arms to the UAE, which is also France's biggest arms export destination. The majority of the UAE's spending is on aircraft from the US and France, followed by missiles and air defense systems.

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