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These missiles will be paid for by the UAE but will be used and operated by the Americans! These missiles are for the defense of American forces in Iraq and the Gulf region against any retaliation by Iran if attacked.
This is like the deal of the AWACS to Saudi Arabia in late 1970s, paid for by the Saudis but operated by U.S. personnel to spy on Iran, Pakistan and Iraq.
What a deal? The American saying goes: You can't have your cake and eat it too, but in the case of an Arab cake, you can!
U.S. plans $7 billion missile-defense sale to UAE
Sep 8, 2008
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration is planning to sell the United Arab Emirates an advanced U.S. missile defense system valued at up to $7 billion that could be used to defend against Iran, people who have attended briefings on the matter said on Monday.
The Pentagon is set to notify the U.S. Congress of the proposed sale, which would be the first of the so-called Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, several people familiar with the matter said.
THAAD is built by Lockheed Martin Corp. Raytheon Co supplies the system's radar.
Once notified of such a proposed arms sale by the administration, Congress has 30 days to review it but almost never blocks.
In any case, deployment of the THAAD system is "at least months away" and could take more than a year, said a congressional staff member familiar with the matter.
A production contract for the first two THAAD "fire units" was awarded to Lockheed Martin in late 2006. Delivery of the first such unit to the U.S. military is scheduled during the fiscal year that starts October 1, the company said.
Kenneth Katzman, an expert on the Gulf at the Congressional Research Service, said the UAE has been eager for a "sophisticated antidote" to Iran's missile capabilities.
"The UAE has been concerned for many years about possible retaliation against it for any U.S. or Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities," he said.
For Iran, Katzman added, the UAE could be an attractive target because of its billions of dollars of infrastructure investments. The THAAD system is designed to defend population centers and critical infrastructure among other things.
DEFENSE PLANS
Craig Vanbebber, a Lockheed Martin spokesman, said several countries had shown interest in buying the THAAD system, "with its significant coverage area and tremendous success in recent testing."
"Lockheed Martin anticipates a strong future for THAAD in the international marketplace, " he said.
THAAD is the first system designed to defend against short- and intermediate- range ballistic missiles both inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere.
It complements the lower-aimed Patriot missile defense system, "resulting in a layered defense that ensure a very high probability that ballistic missile threats will be destroyed," according to Lockheed Martin.
Several such systems on land, at sea and potentially aloft are being woven into an expanding U.S. shield against missiles that could be tipped with chemical, biological or nuclear warheads.
The proposed $7 billion sale to UAE would include anti-missile interceptors, launchers, fire control and communications systems, the radar and training, among other things, a congressional staff member said. It was not immediately clear whether the UAE was also seeking the Patriot missile defense system.
The sale has been the subject of extensive discussions among U.S. decisionmakers, including over how it would fit into the U.S. Central Command's integrated air-defense plans for the Gulf and the security of the technology, the congressional staff member said.
UAE Prepares For U.S. THAAD System
ABU DHABI -- The United Arab Emirates has been preparing for the arrival of what has been regarded as the most advanced U.S.-origin missile defense system.
Officials said the UAE could receive the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system by 2010. They said THAAD could defend against any Iranian ballistic missile.
"The U.S. Congress this year endorsed a UAE request, submitted in December last year, to possess an advanced missile defense system," U.S. Assistant Defense Secretary Mary Beth Long said.
France opens UAE military base
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France hopes the base will raise its profile in the Gulf, and could help it win defence contracts [AFP]
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France has opened its first military base in the Gulf Arab region, with French officials saying the facility will strengthen efforts to battle piracy and defend trade.
Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, inaugurated the base, dubbed Peace Camp, in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.
Located in Abu Dhabi, the facility will host up to 500 troops stationed at three sites: a navy and logistical base, an air base housing three fighter planes and a training camp.
Speaking at a maritime security conference, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, the UAE's president, called the deal "an important pillar of our foreign policy because it helps the stability in the Gulf region".
The base sits on the banks of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 40 per cent of the world's crude oil is transported.
Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister, said that the naval base in Abu Dhabi was aimed at supporting and training France's allies in the region.
"Some 90 per cent of European trade traffic is by sea and we have to defend traffic and trade and we are interested in the Gulf and want to bring about the necessary balance in this region," he said.
Business interests
France will also play a role in combating piracy in the region.
"The naval base is also strategic for international security and stability. We assure maritime trade security in this region, the Mediterranean sea, the Gulf waters and the Indian Ocean," Kouchner said.
He declined to comment on whether the UAE had finalised a deal to buy Rafale fighter planes from France's Dassault Aviation.
Dassault said on Saturday it was in talks with the UAE on a possible order for its Rafale fighters, in what would be the first sale of the aircraft to a foreign buyer.
The Le Parisien newspaper reported on Saturday that France was finalising the sale of 60 Rafale jets in a deal worth $8-11bn, and that Sarkozy would personally push the issue during his visit to Abu Dhabi.
Dassault declined to confirm the figures and said only that an agreement might be reached this year.
Nuclear plans
France also hopes the base will strengthen its ties with the UAE, which plans to build a number of nuclear reactors to meet an expected need for an extra 40,000 megawatts of electricity by 2017.
France's Total, Suez, and state nuclear reactor maker Areva said last year they planned to develop two third-generation nuclear reactors in the UAE.
The Reuters news agency reported a source close to Sarkozy, who arrived in Abu Dhabi on Monday night, as saying that state-controlled power firm EDF would be joining the French consortium.
US firms GE and Westinghouse Electric are also hoping to compete for a share of the expected $40bn market.
http://english. aljazeera. net/news/ middleeast/ 2009/05/20095266 227614925. html
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