Alwaght- In recent days, Israeli media revealed signing the largest military deal in the history of the Israeli military industries. The contract signed between the UAE and Elbit Systems is worth $2.3 billion.
According to Calcalist newspaper of Israel and also Intelligence Online, this deal is designed to cover a 8-10 year period and due to security considerations, a major part of it remains undisclosed.
In its official statement, Elbit Systems, without referring to the side of the deal had talked about signing “a big strategic contract with an international customer.” The statement very soon provoked speculations about the UAE being the purchaser and a few days later Israeli media confirmed Abu Dhabi as the side of the military deal.
What does the deal contain and why are details kept in shadows?
Newly released information reveals that this agreement goes far beyond the sale of a single weapon or system. It points, with high probability, to a comprehensive military-security package.
This package likely combines hardware, software, personnel training, long-term technical support, and incremental updates, a complete force-multiplier deal.
Israeli media outlets have stressed that the precise nature of the systems involved has not been formally announced. It remains unclear whether the contract includes electronic warfare technology, air defense systems, command and control networks, or protection for critical infrastructure. Officials cite two primary reasons for this secrecy: the inherent sensitivity of exporting such advanced technologies and considerations to preserve the regime’s “qualitative military edge” in the region.
Upgrading J-Music Dircm technology
Sources familiar with the deal told Intelligence Online that it is expected that new system includes an upgraded version and in a larger extent of the prominent J-Music Direct ( Directed Infrared Counter Measure) as an Elbit Systems product. The technology is used to jam thermal air defense missiles using laser-powered jamming.
According to the report, this agreement has been signed as a government-to-government contract. However, the joint investment required to actually implement the program has not yet officially commenced.
Elbit Systems has decided not to comment officially on the matter, and its filing on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange was made without disclosing the buyer’s identity, citing the client’s strict confidentiality requirements as the reason.
The secrecy surrounding this deal is no accident. If confirmed, it would be the first defense contract signed between an Arab state and an Israeli defense contractor since the events of October 7, 2023. Consequently, the UAE is exercising extreme caution due to regional criticism and political pressure stemming from the war in Gaza.
Defenders of Palestinian rights and anti-war activists argue that such agreements constitute not only a betrayal of the Palestinian cause but also reward Israel at a time when the regime and its leaders face mounting accusations of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
The Israeli regime's reliance on revenue from military sales has increased sharply due to the heavy costs of two years of war and regional aggression, meaning that purchasing its weaponry directly aids the regime’s capacity to wage further war in Gaza and the region.
Critics go beyond ethical objections, asserting that any contract with Israeli companies is illegal under international law due to their role in committing crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Under the 2013 Arms Trade Treaty, any arms deal involving a clear or substantial risk of the equipment being used to commit gross human rights violations or serious breaches of international humanitarian law must be stopped.
In this context, Elbit Systems has been a key player in the war on Gaza and the genocide of Palestinians. For example, early in the war, the Israeli ministry of defense announced a new contract with Elbit Systems worth over $220 million to supply precision mortar munitions to the military. Elbit confirmed it would deliver laser-guided and GPS-guided mortar munitions, known as “Iron Sting,” over the next two years.
The Iron Sting is a 120mm mortar round equipped with a coded, continuous-wave laser sensor and fuse. It is both lightweight and cost-effective, with an engagement range varying from 1 to 12 kilometers.
At the time, Bezhalel Machlis, President and CEO of Elbit Systems, emphasized the company’s ongoing commitment to developing, producing, and supplying advanced technological solutions and products to clients in the occupied territories and internationally.
Elbit Systems has further aided the Israeli occupation by constructing the notorious apartheid wall in the West Bank and equipping it with advanced surveillance systems.
However, the UAE has not only failed to act to halt this trade but has openly supported companies supplying weapons used in the Israeli army’s lethal and destructive operations in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.
Why is this deal important to Israeli military industries?
Economically, this deal is an unprecedented achievement to the Elbit Systems. Financial reports suggest that the order backlog of this company in recent years has been $23-25 billion and the Emirati deal alone accounts for 10 percent of this order basket.
In other words, this contract provides:
- A long-term and stable revenue stream;
- Reduced risk from short-term fluctuations in the arms market;
- And enables greater investment in research and development for next-generation defense systems.
Israeli economic analysts believe that amid intensifying global competition in the arms market, contracts of this nature solidify the position of Israeli companies alongside American and European giants.
Elbit Systems company
Elbit Systems is a prominent defense and technology company of Israel that is a known brand in the world weapons market.
The company is a leading manufacturer of drones for military and civilian applications, as well as optical and electro-optical systems, and air defense technologies.
Elbit Systems describes itself as a “global leader in defense technology, providing advanced solutions for a safer and more secure world.”
Founded in 1966 as a part of the Israeli electronics company Elron, it began its operations in collaboration with the regime’s military research institute to develop computers and electronic products.
The company underwent a significant transformation in 2000 by merging with Elop Technology, forming the current Elbit Systems. Israeli billionaire Michael Federman served as its chairman of the board until 2023.
In 2018, Elbit Systems acquired Israel Military Industries (IMI) for $500 million, significantly expanding its capabilities in the production and supply of a wide range of weapons and military technologies.
The company employs approximately 19,000 people across various countries and markets its weaponry through operations in the US, Brazil, and India, with a strategic focus on Asia and Latin America.
Its clientele includes countries such as India, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Myanmar, Rwanda, and Australia. The company reported approximately $6 billion in revenue last year and holds an order backlog of $17.8 billion.
The company has a history of collaboration with the Israeli occupation army, including a $5 million contract to equip the West Bank separation wall with electronic surveillance and warning systems.
It has also signed contracts with Washington to supply helicopters and develop border database systems.
What context has driven this deal?
The Emirates relation with Elbit Systems is part of a broader and more complex network of defense cooperation.
In 2021, Elbit Systems launched its joint venture with the UAE, Elbit Systems Emirates, for long-term cooperation with the Emirates armed forces.
In 2022, Elbit Systems signed a $53 million contract with the UAE to supply infrared-based laser protection and electronic warfare systems for the UAE Air Force’s Airbus A330 aircraft. The contract is slated to be executed over five years.
In 2023, the company made history by becoming the first Israeli company to participate in the International Defence Exhibition (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi.
Following the normalization of relations in 2020 with Abu Dhabi, a number of prominent Israeli arms manufacturers have been present at the Israeli pavilion at defense exhibitions in Abu Dhabi. These companies include Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), RT LTA Systems, weapons manufacturer EMTAN, and Heven Drones, which specializes in unmanned aerial systems. These companies have played a fundamental role in supplying the weapons used by the Israeli occupation army in its attacks on civilians.
The UAE's agreement to allow Israeli arms companies to participate in the NAVDEX 2025 maritime defense and security exhibition and the IDEX international defense exhibition signifies direct support for Israel’s military industry and war machine.
Meanwhile, reports suggest that the UAE is to buy Hermes 900 multi-role drone from Elbit Systems along with transfer of its technology, marking the first big defense-industry partnership between the two sides. The aircraft, capable of carrying payloads up to 300 kilograms, can remain airborne for up to 30 hours and reach an altitude of 9,000 meters while conducting missions focused on reconnaissance, surveillance, communications relay, and electronic warfare.
In January 2024, the Israeli regime’s military equipment supplier, Third eye Systems, sold 30 percent of its shares for $10 million to the Emirati military company, Edge Group.
Furthermore, reports from October indicate that for the first time since the normalization of relations between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi in 2020, an Israeli defense company established a subsidiary in the UAE.
Based in Abu Dhabi, this subsidiary will serve as Controp Precision Technologies’ regional headquarters in the Persian Gulf, overseeing the marketing, sales, and maintenance of its electro-optical systems used for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions in air, land, and maritime operations.
In addition to arms purchases and hosting Israeli companies, media reports have revealed Abu Dhabi’s covert role in facilitating arms shipments from Serbia to the occupied territories.
According to Balkan Insight, since the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, Serbia’s state-owned arms manufacturer, Yugoimport SDPR, has exported $17.1 million worth of weapons to the occupying army.
Serbia and the UAE have maintained strong defense relations since 2013, highlighted by a $214 million arms deal.
This agreement included exports of armored personnel carriers from Serbia to the UAE and the joint development of a surface-to-surface guided missile.
In recent years, arms exports from Serbia to the UAE have increased.
In 2022, Serbia and the UAE signed another significant agreement for the sale of a substantial quantity of ammunition, underscoring their ongoing defense cooperation.
Emirates uses Serbia-provided arms to back its proxies in Yemen and Sudan. For example, it provides drones to the Rapid Response Forces (RSF) rebels fighting regular Sudanese army.
According to reports, labyrinthine network of deals and weapons investments are organized by Mohammed Dahlan, the advisor to the UAE president Mohammad bin Zayed.
Dahlan, who has Serbian citizenship and luxury properties in this country, is active in the contacts and intelligence circles of the UAE and Israel.
Beside these distinctive points, the two sides share data on common threats and have developed a joint intelligence platform, dubbed Crystal Ball, that focuses on threats to cyber security.
Why is the UAE seeking such a deal?
Abu Dhabi views this agreement as part of a long-term strategic framework it has pursued for years, particularly following the 2020 Abraham Accords: a strategy to cement its position as a reliable US security partner and as the US’s preferred Arab state. The roots of this approach trace back to the political fallout from the 9/11 attacks, which sowed distrust in Washington toward the Emirates. In response, the Abu Dhabi leadership gradually worked to rehabilitate its image by expanding ties with American political, military, and intellectual institutions, while simultaneously moving closer to the Israeli regime. The outcome of this process was the expansion of covert contacts with Israeli officials, culminating in the US-brokered normalization of diplomatic relations, a trajectory that subsequently elevated security and military cooperation from limited contacts to formal, structured partnerships.
Regional implications and sensitivities
The growing UAE-Israeli ties have considerable regional, and possibly global, implications and can transform the West Asia and North Africa security outlook.
Some Israeli analysts warn that vast export of advanced weapon systems to the regional countries should be interpreted as a sign of rise of a new security axis in the Persian Gulf.
The Israeli defense exports to the Arab countries in recent years have set new records.
Eurasia Times reports that in 2024, Israel exported up to 12 percent of its weapons to the Arab countries that normalized ties with Tel Aviv under what the US calls Abraham Accords, 3 percent up compared to the year before.
The combined arms purchases by the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan have reached approximately $1.8 billion, making Arab states the third-largest market for Israeli weaponry after Europe and the broader Asia-Pacific region.
The growing concern and warnings from leaders and governments of Red Sea coastal states regarding the militarization of the region reflect a belated realization of this reality.
It is no secret that the normalization of relations between the UAE and the Israeli regime legitimized the presence of the Israeli forces in strategic Yemeni islands under an Emirati cover.
The war on Yemen has taken on deeper and more dangerous security and military dimensions than the stated pretexts and objectives of the coalition. This is particularly evident on Mayun Island in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, where the UAE established a military base and airstrip in late 2016, and in the Socotra archipelago, where surveillance centers linked to intelligence-gathering submarine technology were established in late 2020 at the “Ras Qatnan” and “Jumjuma Mumi” sites, overlooking the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.
These actions stem from an integrated Emirati-Saudi-Israeli adversarial calculus against the Sana’a-based forces, following Ansarullah’s involvement in supporting Gaza and its declaration banning the movement of US and Israeli vessels in the Red Sea.
Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki sounded the alarm in November, describing the concerning military movements by the UAE and Israel in the Red Sea as a “conspiracy” to alter the geopolitical map of the region. He explicitly warned that foreign powers are seeking to establish dominance, pointing to efforts to build bases on the Yemeni islands of Socotra, Mayun, and Zaqar. He linked these actions to attempts to “Balkanize” Somalia. He warned that these schemes pose a “permanent danger” to the coasts of the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Indian Ocean, and called for concerted regional moves.
Afwerki’s warnings show that the danger posed by West and Israel jeopardizes not only Yemen but also all countries on the Red Sea coast.
The Emiratis have merged their scenario for the fragmentation of Somalia and the annexation of the Somaliland region with their military partnership with Israel, transforming the area into a joint military base in exchange for promises of secession and the achievement of “independence” for local actors from the Somali government.
