The United Arab Emirates announced four billion dirhams ($1.089 billion/805 million euros) in defence deals on Tuesday, continuing to pour on the military spending as popular protests sweep the Middle East.
Major General Obaid al-Ketbi announced 14 deals totalling four billion dirhams at a defence exposition in Abu Dhabi.
The largest deal announced was one for 2.018 billion dirhams ($550 million) with Emiraje Systems to implement a command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) system.
Other deals included one for 423 million dirhams ($115.2 million) with Nexter Systems to provide technical support for Leclerc tanks, and another for 112.4 million dirhams ($30.6 million) with Dassault Aviation to update Mirage 2000 fighter jets.
Manufacturers from around the world are racing to seal contracts with Gulf states, fearful of Iran and with their spending power buoyed by high oil prices.
The six Gulf Cooperation Council countries — Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait — along with Jordan are set to spend $68 billion (49.6 billion euros) on defence in 2011, according to research firm Frost & Sullivan.
Their spending is expected to reach nearly $80 billion in 2015.
The deals come as several Arab leaders are battling widespread revolts against their rules that have already Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and Tunisian president Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali.
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