SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
UAE defence ministry says to buy Chinese aircraft
Dubai, Feb 23 (AFP) Feb 23, 2022
The United Arab Emirates said Wednesday it plans to buy a dozen Chinese L15 aircraft, as it seeks to bolster its defences after a series of attacks by Yemeni rebels.

In December, the UAE threatened to scrap its mega-purchase of US F-35 fighter jets, protesting stringent conditions amid Washington's concerns over China.

The UAE defence ministry said it intended to sign a contract with China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC) to purchase 12 of the L15 training and light combat aircraft, with the option for 36 additional jets of the same type, the official Emirati news agency WAM reported.

"We have reached the final stage in our talks with the Chinese side. The final contract will... be signed soon," Tareq Al-Hosani, CEO of Tawazun Economic Council, was quoted as saying.

The value of the deal was not disclosed.

Tawazun -- the Emirates' defence and security acquisitions authority -- was seeking to "develop the UAE's defence capabilities and to achieve its strategic priorities", said WAM.

The US and UAE have yet to finalise a $23 billion arms deal that includes F-35 fighter jets.

Lawmakers from US President Joe Biden's Democratic Party unsuccessfully sought to stop the sale, pointing in part to the Gulf state's role in the Yemen war.

US officials have also been increasingly concerned by China's involvement with the US ally.

But the UAE continues to plough money into drones, robots and other unmanned weaponry as autonomous warfare becomes more and more widespread -- including in attacks on the Gulf country by Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels.

The wealthy Gulf country is part of the Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting the Huthis since 2015.

Although it withdrew ground troops in 2019, it remains a key player in the grinding conflict.

On January 17, drone-and-missile assault by the Huthis killed three oil workers in Abu Dhabi, the first in a number of similar attacks on the UAE.

The US has deployed a warship and fighter planes to help protect the UAE.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
PLD Space selected as leading contender for ESA sovereign launch initiative
UK thermal satellite firm wins ESA contract to deliver real time climate and security insights
UK opens competitive bid for GBP 75 million orbital cleanup mission

24/7 Energy News Coverage
China speeds up renewables building spree: report
French giant EDF will take 12.5 pecent stake in new UK nuclear plant
Major US teachers union teams up with AI giants

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
BlackSky expands Gen-3 access to bolster Ukraine-focused intelligence operations
Maxar secures $205 million in multi-year deals to boost space capabilities across MEA
K2 Space validates satellite systems in orbit and fires record-breaking thruster

24/7 News Coverage
The long slow death of Norway's wild salmon
Beijing decries 'discriminatory' ban on Chinese purchases of US farmland
China's 'new farmers' learn to livestream in rural revitalisation



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.