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UAE state-owned defence conglomerate Edge Group has been showcasing its drones, guided munitions, electronic warfare products and other wares at the Expodefensa 2023 trade fair in Bogota, Colombia, held from 5-7 December.
Vice President Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan launched the Bani Yas corvette on 29 November at the Mina Zayed naval base in Abu Dhabi.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (Nedaja)’s newest vessel, the frigate Deylaman, officially joined its Caspian Sea fleet in late November. The ship is the seventh Moudge-class vessel, a design of light frigate based on the British-built Vosper Thorneycroft Mk5 Alvand.
The usual dizzying number of civil and military contracts were unveiled at the mid-November Dubai Airshow where, included among the 54 deals signed by the UAE government's Tawazun Council, was an air defence order with the unknown Black Diamond company, which GSN's research suggests is an Israeli venture created after Abu Dhabi's Abraham Accord was concluded.
State-owned Edge Group announced the acquisition of a 52% shareholding in Swiss unmanned helicopter specialist Anavia on 6 November.
Saudi Arabia is reportedly considering buying up to 54 Rafale jets from France's Dassault Aviation. Dassault has built up a sizeable customer base for its jets in the Gulf: Qatar has taken delivery of 36 Rafales, and the UAE has ordered up to 80 of the fighter bombers.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (Iriaf) has reportedly received two Russian-made Yakovlev Yak-130 advanced training jets. As yet, however, there is no sign of a promised delivery of Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets making their way to Iran.
Saudi Arabia is continuing to push to join an initiative by Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom to develop a sixth-generation fighter jet. Saudi defence minister Prince Khalid Bin Salman had claimed in March the kingdom was set to join the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme but this was soon politely denied by the UK.
Pictures of armoured vehicles manufactured by Calidus on parade in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) underline the Abu Dhabi-based military hardware company's growing reach.
Saudi Arabia signed a deal to buy the Akinci combat drone from Turkey’s Baykar Technology, during a visit to the kingdom by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Bayraktar called it the largest defence and aviation export contract in Turkish history.
A mooted deal for Iran to acquire Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets from Russia appears to have been suspended, as defence minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani told local media the transaction was not moving ahead.
The Kuwaiti Ministry of Defence had signed a contract with the Turkish government to buy an unspecified number of Bayraktar TB2 combat drones built by Baykar Technology. The deal was said to be worth $367m and aims to strengthen Kuwait's defence capabilities.
UAE state-owned defence group Edge has signed a partnership and cooperation agreement with the Brazilian Navy for the development of long-range anti-ship missiles.
French-headquartered aerospace company Airbus is to set up a facility with Saudi Arabia's Scopa Industries Corporation to build military and civilian helicopters in the kingdom, following an agreement signed on the sidelines of the Saudi-French Investment Forum in Paris.
The UAE has signed a contract with Spain's Escribano Mechanical & Engineering (EM&E) to buy 516 of its Guardian 30 remote weapon stations. The units can be mounted on armoured vehicles and have a 30mm cannon, a 7.62mm machine gun and electro-optical targeting systems.
