UAE Army - history, features and interesting facts

Today the United Arab Emirates impresses with its idyll and luxury. There are very strict laws here. The police drive around in luxury cars. And the term of service in the UAE army depends on whether a person graduated from school or not. But things were not always so smooth in this country. In the early 70s of the last century, it was shaken by armed conflicts. In this connection, I had to create my own army.

Historical summaries

The year of the creation of the UAE army is 1976. Two years later, a geographical split occurred in the country - Dubai and Ras al-Khaimah left its composition. The second city named subsequently returned. And Dubai still retains substantial military sovereignty to this day.

The history of the UAE armed forces is specific in that they were not united until the designated year. Each represented its own emirate. After the formation of the union, their unity turned out to be only theoretical. In practice, each was controlled by the emirate.

Forces represented the following territories:

1. Abu Dhabi. Year of formation - 1965.The number of soldiers by 1975 amounted to 15,000 people. The army had at its disposal two squadrons of fighters, 135 armored cars and the same number of combat helicopters. In 1996, it transformed into the UDF eastern team.
2. Dubai. Year of appearance - 1971. By 1975, the army consisted of 3,000 soldiers. After 20 years, the composition has expanded significantly - up to 20,000 fighters. The technical equipment includes armored vehicles, 105 helicopters, a special attack aircraft. In 1996 it was transformed into the UDF Central Command.
3. Ras Al Kaimah. Year of foundation - 1969. The initial size of the army - 30 fighters. In the process of development, the composition increased to 9,000 soldiers. In the arsenal there are armored cars and two groups of infantry. In 1996, the Northern Command of the UDF was created on the basis of these forces.

Summon Question

All males who are in the 18-30 age spectrum are required by law from 2014 to serve in the UAE military.

There are two variations in the duration of compulsory service:

1. Minimum 9 months. It is passed by citizens who have graduated from high school and presented documentary evidence of this.
2. Maximum 2 years. It is assigned to citizens who do not have a basic secondary education.

There is a third option to stay in the UAE army. It is provided for girls. Service for them is voluntary and lasts 9 months.

About weapons

Its lion's share is produced in the west. And in the 90s of the last century, the country concludedseveral key agreements with Russia. They concerned the supply of such equipment as infantry fighting vehicles, MLRS and air defense systems.

Between 1998 and 2000, the UAE entered into two solid agreements with France and the United States. Both relate to the supply of aviation equipment. In the first case, this is a Mirage-2000-9 aircraft, in the second - F-16C / D Block 60. Suppliers created these special orders according to the criteria set by the emirates.

Subtleties of contracts

Armament of the UAE was significantly replenished in the 90s, thanks to cooperation with some European countries, as well as Indonesia and the United States. This process is presented below in chronological order.

Year	Partner Country	Technique	Number of units	Contract period	Amount (in dollars)
1993	France	Leclerc tanks	436	1994-2003	3, 6-4, 6 billion
1994	Czech Republic	Tatra trucks	1100		180 million
1994	Holland	Kortener frigates	2	1996-1998	350 million
1998…	France…	Mirage-2000-9 aircraft	30		5.5 billion
		Modernized modifications of the Mirage-2000-5	33
1999	Indonesia	Patrol aircraft CN-235-200MPA	4		150 million
2000	USA	F-16C/D aircraft;	80		6.4 billion
2000	Russia	ZRK 96K6 "Shell S-1"	50	2003-2005	734 million

UAE Ground Forces

It's hard to imagine the army of this country without them. About 45,000 fighters are involved in them.

The ground forces of the United Arab Emirates are formed by nine brigades. They are reflected in this table:

View of the brigade	Number
King's Guard	1
Armored	2
Infantry with special equipment	3
Infantry	2
Artillery	1

There are also two special Dubai brigades. They are infantry, mechanized.

Artillery is formed by three regiments. They are formed by three batteries of 8 self-propelled guns М109/L47.

Brigades with special equipment have divisions, each of which is equipped with 24 G-6 self-propelled guns.

In the arsenal of infantry formations there are howitzers with a parameter of 10.5 cm.

Armament of UAE ground forces

Their combat and technical potential is presented in the tables below. They also reflect partner countries.

Review begins with tanks. Here, the Leclerc model is the leader in purchases.

About her and other modificationsbelow:

Name	Production	Destination	Number of units
Leclerc	French	Combat	390
AMX-30			45
OF-40 Mk.II Lion	Italian		36
Scorpio	British	Easy	76

Further, in the military potential of the UAE army, such types of equipment as infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers and armored personnel carriers are presented:

Name	Production	Destination	Number of units
AML-90	French	BRM	50
VBL		Armored vehicle	25
AMX-10P		BMP	16
M3 Panhard		Armored personnel carrier	370
VCR			80
Ferret	British	BRM	37
Saladin		BRM	20
TPz 1 Fuchs	German	Chemical and biological intelligence	16
BMP-3	Russian	BMP	415
FNSS ACV	Turkish	Armored personnel carrier	136
RG-31 Nyala	Canadian	Armored vehicle	76
EE-11 Urutu	Brazilian	Armored personnel carrier	120

Weapons are not complete without autonomous artillery for field missions. This technique appears here:

Name	Production	View	Number of units
G6	South African	Howitzer 15.5 cm	78
M109A3	American	Howitzer 15.5 cm	125
AMX-13 F3 AM	French	Howitzer 15.5 cm	18

There is also a towed analogue of the specified artillery. Only two modifications appear here:

1. L-118. This is a light gun with a parameter of 10.5 cm. The supplier is England. Number of units -73.
2. 59-1 - howitzer with a parameter of 13 cm. Country - China. Number of units - 20.

The UAE’s military capabilities include rocket launcher technology:

Name	Production	View	Parameter (cm)	Number of units
LAU-97	Belgian	MLRS	7	18
Firos-25	Italian	MLRS	12, 2	48
ВМ9А52 "Smerch"	Russian	MLRS	30	6

There are also mortars in the arsenal. Their statistics are as follows:

Name	Production	Parameter (cm)	Number of units
Brandt	French	8, 1	20
Brandt		12	21
L16	English	8, 1	114

Anti-tank weapons

The UAE Armed Forces provide in their vanguard and means against tanks. Purchased devices inEurope and the USA in a solid amount. Their list is shown below:

View	Production	Model	Number of units
HOT	German	heavy	50
Milan	French	mobile	230
BGM-71 TOW	American	mobile	25
Carl Gustaf M2	Swedish	8, 4cm RPG	250

Air defense and ballistics

Here the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates have a more modest performance. And in this regard, they cooperate only with European partners:

View	Production	Option	Number of units
Mistral	French	mobile MANPADS	20
M-3VDA		ZSU	42
GCF-BM2		ZSU	20
Blowpipe	English	mobile MANPADS	20

Regardingballistic weapons, the UAE army has only one Soviet-made missile - SS-1C Scud-B. Number of launchers - 6.

About BBC

Today it is one of the key sectors of the UAE armed forces. Its staff includes almost 4,000 employees and about 368 units of aircraft. We are proud of the Mirage-2000 models.

The Emirates also love the brainchild of American production - the F-16 Fighting Falcon. It is often abbreviated as F-16 FF.

As you know, the country is formed by seven emirates. And the air force is only in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

To date, only citizens with a UAE passport are allowed to drive combat vehicles. Foreigners serve the bases and are involved in training programs.

The history of the Air Force in the Emirates started in 1968. Then the first forces appeared in Abu Dhabi. Their work was controlled by British services. In 1972, funding improved significantly here, and tangible progress began.

In 1999, two emirates with military aviation merged. But, despite this, they retained a certain autonomy. And Abu Dhabi became the location of the Western Command, and Dubai - the Central.

Combat potential

As already noted, the basis of the country's military aviation is American and French-made fighters. There are still tankers, patrol,reconnaissance and training equipment.

The table below only includes models for the specified purpose. Transport and general profile modifications do not count.

Designation	Production	Functions	Number of units
F-16 FF	American	Fighter for multiple tasks	79
Mirage-2000	French	Fighter for multiple tasks	68
Airbus A330 MRTT	European Union	Tanker	3
AH-64 Apache	American	For impact tasks	28
Pilatus PC-7 Turbo Trainer	Swiss	For educational purposes	30
Air Tractor AT-802	American		24
Grob G 115	German		12
Eurocopter AS 350 Ecoureuil	French		14
Bombardier Dash 8	Canadian	For patrolling	2
Viking Air
MQ-1 Predator	American	For reconnaissance
Denel Dynamics Seeker	South African

About the UAE Police

There are two categories of workers here:

1. Officers and privates.
2. Service staff.

Key positions can only be held by citizens of this country. The leader and all instructors must have a higher education.

Police officers are trained at different levels of training:

1. Protection of objects.
2. Work in general divisions.
3. Serving in the police departments.

Private and leading sergeants are trained at the police college. The duration of study is 2 years. Graduates are issued a license in the field of "science of law". They can also improve their skills through one-year courses.

In the UAE police, the army is distinguished by ranks. So police officers can have ranks such as:

1. General. There are three variations: armies, divisions and brigades.
2. Colonel.
3. Lieutenant colonel.
4. Major.
5. Captain.
6. Lieutenant. 2 levels: regular and senior.

Private and sergeant may have the following ranks:

1. Sergeant major. 3 levels: normal, first and main.
2. Sgt.
3. Private.

Junior officers are trained at the Police Academy. The study period is 4 years.Graduates receive a diploma with a bachelor's degree.