The UAE recently signed a mega-contract of Rs 6.84bn with a Pakistani firm for the supply of various kinds of ammunition, as per various reports.
According to foreign media reports, Lieutenant-Colonel Sarah Al Hajri, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence, revealed that UAE signed the deal with Pakistan’s Global Industrial and Defence Solutions (GIDS). The two parties finalized the deal at the Dubai Air Show 2021 on Wednesday.
The UAE Ministry spokesperson also said that UAE signed seven major agreements worth 22.5 billion dirhams. In addition, a US company called the Alliant Techsystems Operations (ATO) won the biggest deal of the event. ATO signed two contracts valued at Dh175.8 million and Dh367.3 million for the purchase of ammunition accessories for the air force and air defense.
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Moreover, Al Hajri announced that French aviation giant Dassault Aviation bagged a contract worth Dh149.1 million.
While the US and France signed deals of higher value than Pakistani, the UAE contract is still a major win. Important to note, in the recent past, Pakistan’s defense deals with countries increased. Regarding this, official reports emerged of several countries buying Pakistan’s JF-17s fighter jets. So far, Myanmar, Nigeria, Malaysia, Argentina, and Iraq are set to purchase fighter jets from Pakistan.
Earlier this month, Azerbaijan too reiterated its interest in buying Pakistan’s JF-17 Thunder. Azerbaijan’s Colonel Mehman Novruzov revealed that his country is working with Pakistan to upgrade its air force.
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"Buying JF-17 aircraft from #Pakistan is a key item on our agenda."
– Colonel Mehman Novruzov, defense attache of Azerbaijan Embassy in Pakistan, held a press conference at the Embassy. pic.twitter.com/rXN6FnvoOx
— Umair Aslam (@Defense785) November 2, 2021
Pakistan at Dubai Air Show 2021
According to reports, Pakistan Air Force introduced its advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft, jet Karakoram 8 NG, in Dubai Airshow 2021.
Pakistan Aeronautical complex manufactured the multirole jet. It contains an air-to-air missile system and the capacity of carrying a 4.6 tons payload.
https://twitter.com/PKMARKHOR1/status/1460598219222790155?s=20
India showcased its HAL Tejas to the Pakistan Air Force delegation. Interestingly, a recent study by Research & Markets listed Tejas and JF-17 ‘Thunder’ as two of the top light fighter jets available in the global export market.
However, experts emphasize that Tejas have a big disadvantage against Pak/China JF-17 that mostly uses mostly Chinese and Russian technology all of which are cleared for re-export to 3rd countries.
On the other hand, India’s HAL Tejas uses American engines, Israeli radar, and a combination of avionics from different nations. To clarify, exporting Tejas jets will need a lot of approvals from countries.
https://twitter.com/PSFAERO/status/1460555216831586306?s=20