UAE Air Force Evaluates MALE and UCAV Requirements

The United Arab Emirates Air Force and Air Defence has outlined a long-term acquisition strategy that includes fielding a next-generation fighter and an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) between 2018 and 2025.

Both requirements were revealed for the first time at the Dubai International Air Chiefs’ Conference on 12 November during a presentation by deputy air force chief Major-General Ibrahim Naser al-Alawi.

The UAE has been one of the world’s biggest spenders on combat aircraft over the last 10 years, and is close to acquiring new batches of fighters, trainers, air control aircraft, airlifters and armed helicopters.

Al-Alawi’s presentation made clear that the Air Force has no intention of slowing its modernisation, even after completing its current list of planned acquisitions.

According to al-Alawi, the next major requirement for the UAE will be the acquisition before 2013 of an unarmed unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for intelligence gathering. The UAE is known to be actively considering the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ Predator XP and the Turkish Aerospace Industries’ (TAI) Anka.

Source: Flight Global

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