Union Defence Force (UAE) - Military Expansion (1991-2005)

Military Expansion (1991-2005)

The UAE went on an expansion drive in 1995, which began with the 1992-93 acquisition of 436 Leclerc Tanks and 415 BMP-3 Armored Vehicles. It had learned from the Iranian experiences with having a single supplier for its military and has diversified its arms purchases, purchasing weaponry mainly from Russia, the United States, the UK, Ukraine, France and Germany. It has also taken care to invest in the systems it has purchased and standardize them according to NATO/GCC Specifications.

The equipment expansion was also followed by a Quantitative Manpower Expansion and Emiratisation program for the Armed forces. Presently (2005) almost all pilots in the UAE Airforce are UAE Nationals, with the restriction of non-nationals to certain positions in the instruction and maintenance divisions of the airforce. More nationals are being trained to fill these ranks, with programs such as the Technical Trainee Project underway to try to fill the technical jobs in the country.

There has also been a qualitative shift in the Personnel in the armed services, with expert instruction being brought in from around the world, refinement of local military training institutions and the increase in standards across the armed forces. In 2008, the UAE bought Patriot missiles and related radar, support services for the Patriot systems. There has been work concurrently on the Hawk systems, the Patriots predecessor, currently in use by the UAE.

In the last days of 2011, during a war scare with Iran over the Straits of Hormuz, the UAE announced a purchase of 3.48$ billion US worth of American missile systems: 2 radar systems, 96 missiles, spare parts and training. The UAE was the first country to acquire THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System) A contract worth 1.96$ billion was agreed for Lockheed Martin Corp to supply two Thaad anti-missile batteries.