UAE will be First country in World to be armed with Missile Shield

The Dh25 billion system’s radar is supplied by US defense company Raytheon. The advanced anti-missile system would be used to defend infrastructure and logistics in the UAE from any hostile action.

Retired General Khalid Abdullah Al Buainain, former commander of the UAE Air Force and Air Defense said deployment of the system, which could take three years, would defend the UAE against all missile attacks.

“The UAE is not under imminent threat from any party nor is it a party to any arms race for real or apparent military supremacy. The building and deploying of advanced anti-missile systems is meant to protect the nation’s most valuable assets and to maintain security and stability”

The UAE, he said, will be the first country in the world to be armed with the anti-missile THAAD or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, developed and built by US defense company Lockheed Martin.

“The THAAD anti-missile system is only deployed and operated by the American forces in Poland and Israel, but in the case of the UAE, it will be possessed and fully operated by Emiratis.”

“Unlike the Patriot missile system, which could only defend against 1,000 km ballistic missiles, THAAD is the first system designed to defend against short and intermediate range ballistic missiles both inside and outside the Earth’s atmosphere.”

Al Buainain said the system would include anti-missile interceptors, launchers, fire control and communications systems, radar and training.

He stressed the system complements the lower-aimed Patriot missile defence system, resulting in a layered defence that ensure a very high probability that ballistic missile threats will be destroyed.