UAE employs Israeli Barak air defence systems, and larger deals expected

Defence sources informed Breaking Defense that a variant of the Israeli-made Barak air defence system had been delivered to the United Arab Emirates, marking the beginning of what they anticipate would be a sizable deal for further systems.

“This is going to be a very big contract, as the Emiratis need a large number [of systems] to protect some of their sensitive sites that have been hit again and again by missiles launched by the Houthi rebels in Yemen, the Iranian proxy in the region,” one of the sources said.

After a drone and missile strike, allegedly carried out by the Houthis, struck locations in the UAE, including the international airport in Abu Dhabi, and resulted in the deaths of some people, Breaking Defense first revealed in January that the Emiratis had subtly reached out to Jerusalem. In addition, Reuters stated a defence agreement had been reached last month, although they only mentioned one Israeli air defence system.

Since Israel Aerospace Industries produces a series of modern systems based on the original Barak-8, it is uncertain precisely which version of the Barack has been used. The Barak was improved and adapted to function for ground forces after being created and co-produced with India as a ship-borne system. Therefore, IAI opted not to comment on this matter.

Morocco just acquired the Barak-MX, one potential variant. According to IAI, the system is a kinetic defence system intended to protect against various airborne threats day or night and in any weather. Several different interceptors with ranges ranging from 35 kilometres (about 20 miles) to 150 kilometres can be employed with the Barak-MX (about 90 miles).

Israeli military companies have been avidly scouting for new prospective clients since the Abraham Accords were signed in 2020, which restored relations between Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Morocco. As a result, the region has already done more than $3 billion in new business.

Even though it wasn’t a signatory to the agreements, Saudi Arabia, one of Israel’s historically fiercest regional rivals, had also shown interest in Israeli systems. However, recently escalating tensions over oil production between the Kingdom and the US have dampened Israel’s prospects in that country.