UAE intends to spend $900 million on ships, radars, planes.

Maj. Gen. Obaid al-Ketbi, chairman of the IDEX 2009 military committee, told a press conference the UAE intended to buy weapons and other equipment ranging from artillery-spotting radars through to warship, communications equipment and helicopters. The UAE had earlier announced the selection earlier in the day of Lockheed Martin C-130’s and Boeing C-17 aircraft. These procurement announcements reinforce the UAE’s claims that defense spending will not be affected due the economic crisis in the UAE and plummeting oil price. The biggest deal announcement so far is the Abu Dhabi Shipbuilding and its Swedish partners secure an order to build 12 new 26m fast patrol boats and upgrade another 12 Ghannatha-class high-speed troop-carrying craft into the same configuration. The AED 935 million ($255 million) deal would see partner Swede Ship Marine refit the first of the upgraded boats and build the first three of the new boats. The remainder of the work will be done in Abu Dhabi. The new vessels, still to be known as the Ghannatha class, will have a 30mm cannon and MBDA-supplied Marte anti-ship missile as its main armament. The purchase of three Euro-Art vehicle-mounted Cobra counter-battery radars for AED 892 million ($242 million) was the next biggest of some 12 deals announced at the IDEX 2009 show. The artillery-spotting radar was developed by a joint venture of EADS, Lockheed Martin and Thales. The French company will supply new communications equipment for a number of vehicles, including the Leclerc main battle tank. Other Thales communication systems were also part of a package valued by the general at AED 329 million ($90 million). Among the other intended purchases announced in the press conference were a radio from Harris, two VIP helicopters from AgustaWestland, light weapons, spares and training for Boeing Chinook helicopters, 120mm mortars, and laser designator pods.