The UAE: From Arms Importer to Defense Tech Exporter

For years the UAE allocated billions of dollars to buy weapons and weapons platforms “from the shelf”—mainly from allies and partners in the West. In recent years, however, the UAE doubled down on its efforts to switch from an armaments importer to a defense exporter, and IDEX, the defense fair in Abu Dhabi every two years, attests to this shift. Why did the UAE develop its defense industry? How did it evolve? What achievements did the UAE defense companies register and what challenges did they encounter? And what are their prospects for the future?