DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Dubai Airshow wraps up Thursday, but defense deals have been thin on the ground, with no major awards announced so far.
The big winners have been defense primes from the United States and Europe, but of the several companies picking up awards from the Emirati military, none have racked in more than one contract.
Click here for more coverage of the Dubai Airshow.
Here’s a rundown of all the contracts announced so far:
- On Sunday, Lockheed Martin scored the first award, signing a $1.6 billion contract with the United Arab Emirates for upgrades to the country’s 80 F-16 Block 60 fighter jets. Lockheed declined to provide additional information about the nature of the modifications, but called the deal “another step forward in our partnership to enhance UAE national security and air defense capabilities.”
- The UAE military awarded yet another aircraft modification contract on Tuesday, this time to Dassault for the upgrade of its fleet of 62 Mirage 2000-9 fighters. The agreement, worth approximately $350 million, is seen as a precursor to a buy of Rafales from the French aerospace company.
- Raytheon also picked up an award on Tuesday. Under a $684.4 million contract, the company will supply GBU-10 and GBU-12 Paveway laser-guided bomb kits, according to Reuters.
- On Wednesday, the UAE military announced a deal with Airbus for five C-295 military transport aircraft — the lone order, so far, for new planes. The UAE is a new customer for the C-295, which has been ordered by more than 20 military customers. Airbus manufactures the C-295 in Seville, Spain. The contract is worth about $250 million, according to a Dubai Airshow news release.
Plenty of news has been coming out of the Dubai Airshow. Here are some highlights:
• Video: See the aircraft on display at the Dubai Airshow
• Raytheon: Arab-operated Patriots intercepted over 100 tactical ballistic missiles since 2015
• Saudi use of US, Russian air-defense systems will create ‘serious challenges’
• Video: Go inside the cockpit of the Antonov An-70 STOL airlifter
• Emirati minister: Iran is a greater threat than al-Qaida, ISIS
• Source: UAE wants to buy 24 F-35s
• 5th fleet commander: Intel-sharing clear barrier to military cooperation
Valerie Insinna is Defense News' air warfare reporter. She previously worked the Navy/congressional beats for Defense Daily, which followed almost three years as a staff writer for National Defense Magazine. Prior to that, she worked as an editorial assistant for the Tokyo Shimbun’s Washington bureau.
