Post 1 to 2: UAE Air Force and Air Defence (UAE AFAD)
1. The UAE Air Force (UAEAF) is a medium sized tertiary Air Force that operates only top-of-the-line fighters, air-to-air tankers and the Saab GlobalEye (based on a modified Bombardier Global 6000).
2. On 12 May 1998, the government of the UAE announced that it had selected Lockheed Martin's Block 60's as its advanced fighter aircraft. The total program including 80 aircraft (55 C's and 25 D's). Beyond operating a large fleet of 78 F-16E/Fs, 60 (to 67) upgraded Mirage 2000s and placing on order for 50 F-35As, the UAEAF is keeping its options open to acquire even more fighters, to replace its fleet of Mirage 2000s.
3. Worth almost US$23.4 billion, the proposed Trump era weapons package includes 50 F-35As, 18 MQ-9B SkyGuardian UAVs and a broad array of precision-guided weapons, has been continued under Biden (after a short pause). “The Biden-Harris administration intends to move forward with those proposed defence sales to the UAE even as we continue consulting with Emirati officials to ensure that we have unmistakably clear, mutual understandings with respect to Emirati obligations and actions before, during and after delivery,” said Ms Mira Resnick, who oversees US arms sales in the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.
1. The UAE Air Force (UAEAF) is a medium sized tertiary Air Force that operates only top-of-the-line fighters, air-to-air tankers and the Saab GlobalEye (based on a modified Bombardier Global 6000).
(a) In Jan 2021, Saab has received a US$1 billion order from UAE for 2 additional GlobalEye aircraft. The contract is an extension of a 2015 deal, which saw the country commit to an initial 3 GlobalEye, equipped with Saab’s Erieye long-range radar and other surveillance sensors. That arrangement included an option for 2 more, which have comto fruition.
(b) The UAE Air Force and Air Defence (UAE AFAD) has around 4,000 personnel and operates approximately 538 fixed wing and rotorcraft that includes C-17s, C-130Js, AH-64E Apaches, UH-60 Black Hawks, and CH-47 Chinooks.
(c) Thanks to the French, in 1998, UAE acquired a “land-attack cruise missile” to hold at risk infrastructure targets from outside the range of regional air defenses. The Iranian air defense network depends heavily on point defenses. The long-range of the Black Shaheen would allow UAE’s Mirage 2000 to attack ground targets in Iran from beyond the reach of such defenses.
2. On 12 May 1998, the government of the UAE announced that it had selected Lockheed Martin's Block 60's as its advanced fighter aircraft. The total program including 80 aircraft (55 C's and 25 D's). Beyond operating a large fleet of 78 F-16E/Fs, 60 (to 67) upgraded Mirage 2000s and placing on order for 50 F-35As, the UAEAF is keeping its options open to acquire even more fighters, to replace its fleet of Mirage 2000s.
3. Worth almost US$23.4 billion, the proposed Trump era weapons package includes 50 F-35As, 18 MQ-9B SkyGuardian UAVs and a broad array of precision-guided weapons, has been continued under Biden (after a short pause). “The Biden-Harris administration intends to move forward with those proposed defence sales to the UAE even as we continue consulting with Emirati officials to ensure that we have unmistakably clear, mutual understandings with respect to Emirati obligations and actions before, during and after delivery,” said Ms Mira Resnick, who oversees US arms sales in the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.
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