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UAE Armed Forces to Buy Saab 340 AEW and Pilatus PC-21 Planes

DUBAI — UAE Armed Forces officials signed agreements on Tuesday to buy 25 training aircraft and two airborne surveillance systems worth a combined Dh2.70 billion.

TheUAE military is buying PC-21 trainer planes from Switzerland’s Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. in a deal worth 520 million Swiss Francs, or Dh1.89 billion. Delivery of the aircraft will start in the fourth quarter of 2011 and will be completedin the first quarter of 2012, officials said.

The armed forces also are paying €148.3 million, or Dh814.4 million, for a pair of Saab 340 Airborne Early Warning, or AEW, aircraft equipped with Erieye radar and data links.

The first of these surveillance planes is scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2010, and the second in the first quarter of 2011, officials said.

“We needed to upgrade our system, and the initial training can be done on a cheaper platform,” said Major General Pilot Faris Mohamed Al Mazrouei, UAE GHQ Armed Forces chief of logistics staff, explaining the government’s decision to acquire the Saab planes.

The Saab 340 AEW planeswill be used in operations and for training. Saab of Sweden will provide associated systems and air-crew training, maintenance and repair services.

Together with necessary ground equipment, the system will integrate border control efforts and rescue operations.

“We offered to the UAE Armed Forces the Saab 340 because they wanted to build their experience, andwe could deliver that to them at the shortest delivery time. The other options are not yet available,” said Sten Soderstrom, Saab vice-president for sales and marketing.

Al Mazrouei said the UAE Air Force and Air Defence is evaluating several options to acquire additional early warning aircraft. The options include Boeing MESA, Northop Grumman EZD, and Saab 2000 Ereieye AEWAC.

“We don’t know yet what the final solution will be, he said. “There is no decision on it yet.”

rocel@khaleejtimes.com