UAE and Israel partner to establish 'advanced anti-drone system'

An Israeli and Emirati company announced that they have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop an advanced drone defence system.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and EDGE - both state owned defence companies - said in a statement that they will collaborate on "an advanced C-UAS (Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System) Solution tailored to the UAE market, with wider-ranging benefits for the MENA region and beyond".

Commercial and defensive ties between the UAE and Israel have formed since normalisation agreements were signed between the two countries in September. 

"In line with the recent Abraham Accords and the UAE's newly established cooperation and spirit of collaboration with Israel, EDGE and IAI are joining forces to deal with this growing threat," said Faisal Al-Bannai, managing director of EDGE.

"AI is proud to join forces with EDGE, to provide the UAE and the wider region with a unique and advanced solution in what is a key area of expertise for IAI," said Boaz Levy, president of IAI.

Both Israel and the UAE have expressed their concerns of a growing threat from regional adversary Iran.

In Yemen, Iran-backed Houthi rebels have fought a long war against a Saudi-led coalition, which included the UAE. 

The Houthi rebels have recently stepped up rocket and unmanned drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and have threatened to launch strikes against the UAE. 

The two companies will work to develop drones that can counter the threat of drones in a number of different manners. 

Read more: Middle East drone wars heat up in Yemen

"A series of countermeasures, ranging from jamming to drone destruction, will be offered based on the level of threat and the customer's targeted operating environment," read the statement.

The announcement of joint development comes in the wake of the normalisation agreements and more recently, the IDEX defence exhibition in Abu Dhabi, which Israeli companies participated in for the first time. 

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