Every war the United Arab Emirates Air Force has fought
The UAE publishes almost nothing about its air operations, so much of this record rests on others. The 2014 air strikes and the January 2020 drone strike in Libya are reported by Wikipedia, citing a BBC investigation for the latter, and are not officially acknowledged; the UN Panel of Experts listed the UAE in 2022 among states not complying with the arms embargo. In Yemen a UN-appointed Group of Eminent Experts said in 2020 that individuals from the coalition, in particular from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, may have committed acts that may amount to war crimes; the UAE’s response could not be retrieved. Emirati strikes on Iran in 2026 are reported by the US president, the Wall Street Journal and Opex360, not by Abu Dhabi. Iran regards Abu Musa and the Tunbs as inseparable parts of its territory; the UAE contests Iranian sovereignty over all three islands. Where a consolidated sortie or loss figure exists in the official record it is given here; where accounts disagree, the range is shown and the disagreement named. Blank cells are blank because no figure could be verified, not because the fighting was small.
From air ambulances in the October war of 1973 to the Iran war of 2026.
| Conflict | Jaren | Tegen | Hoofdvliegtuig | Uitvallen | Vliegtuig verloren | |
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| The October warthe 1973 Arab–Israeli warAbu Dhabi Defence Force Air Force | 1973 | — | DHC-4 Caribou | — | 0 | |
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Caribou transports flew as air ambulances. According to Wikipedia’s history of the service, ADDF Air Force Caribous served as air ambulances in Jordan during the war of 6–25 October 1973. Resultaat Medical support only; no combat role. Single source; no details of the number of aircraft or flights.
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| Gulf WarOperatie Desert StormUnited Arab Emirates Air Force (Abu Dhabi and Dubai air arms) | 1991 | Irak | Mirage 2000, C-130 Hercules, Bell 212 | — | — | |
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Mirage 2000s flew with the coalition; C-130s and Bell 212s in support. The UAE was one of five Gulf states that contributed air forces to the coalition air campaign of 17 January to 23 February 1991. Wikipedia’s air force article says the UAE carried out air strikes on Iraqi forces; its Mirage 2000 article says the UAE Mirages had little action. Resultaat Kuwait liberated; ceasefire 28 February 1991. UAE sortie counts and any losses were not found.
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| Libya no-fly zonethe 2011 intervention in LibyaUnited Arab Emirates Air Force | 2011 | Libië (regering van Gaddafi) | F-16E/F, Mirage 2000-9 | — | 0 | |
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Helped enforce the UN-mandated no-fly zone. In March 2011 the UAE joined the enforcement of the no-fly zone over Libya by sending six F-16 and six Mirage 2000 multi-role fighters, according to Wikipedia. Resultaat Gaddafi government fell in 2011. Basing and the number of missions were not confirmed.
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| Second Libyan civil warair strikes and drones in support of Khalifa Haftar’s forcesUnited Arab Emirates Air Force (attributed) | 2014–2020 | Government of National Accord and allied militias | Wing Loong II (reported) | — | — | |
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Reported air strikes in 2014 and drone operations in support of the Haftar-led forces; the UAE has not published an account. Wikipedia says that in 2014 the UAE and Egyptian air forces carried out air strikes in Libya against Islamist factions in Tripoli, and that the House of Representatives side was supported by Egyptian and Emirati air strikes. Wikipedia, citing a BBC investigation, says UAE-operated Wing Loong II drones fired Blue Arrow 7 missiles at a military academy in Tripoli in January 2020, killing 26 unarmed cadets. UN bodies have made findings on arms transfers, not on air strikes: Wikipedia reports that a 2019 UN report found Jordan, Turkey and the UAE had systematically violated the arms embargo, and the UN Panel of Experts’ final report of 24 May 2022 (S/2022/427) listed the UAE among states not complying with the embargo by transferring arms to the Haftar-affiliated forces and failing to inspect aircraft, and concluded that the embargo would remain ‘totally ineffective while Member States control the logistical flows and supply chains to the parties that each Member State is supporting’. Resultaat Ceasefire of October 2020. The UAE government’s response to these findings and to the strike reports could not be retrieved for this update, so its position is not stated here; the 2014 strikes and the January 2020 strike are reported, not officially acknowledged.
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| Campaign against the Islamic StateOperatie Inherent ResolveUnited Arab Emirates Air Force | 2014–2015 | Islamitische Staat | F-16E/F, A330 MRTT | — | 0 | |
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Strike missions against Islamic State targets with the US-led coalition. UAE aircraft joined US-led strikes in Syria and Iraq in September 2014 and suspended them after a Jordanian pilot was captured in December 2014, according to Wikipedia; in 2015 they struck Islamic State targets in Syria. Major Mariam Al Mansouri flew on these missions as the UAE’s first female fighter pilot. UAE A330 MRTTs refuelled coalition aircraft over Iraq. Resultaat The UAE’s strikes ended in 2015; Wikipedia’s coalition table gives the end of UAE involvement as 2018. Dates of resumption and end, and strike counts, were not confirmed in an official source. |
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| Saudi-led intervention in YemenOperation Decisive Storm and Operation Restoring HopeUnited Arab Emirates Air Force | 2015–2025 | Houthis (Ansar Allah) | F-16E/F, Mirage 2000-9, AH-64 Apacheen nog 1 | — | 1 | |
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Flew strike missions in the Saudi-led coalition and supported UAE and allied ground forces in the south. Wikipedia’s infobox credits the UAE with four warplanes (marked citation needed) and more than 40,000 troops. The UAE drew down its forces in July 2019, according to Wikipedia amid tensions with Iran and differences with Saudi Arabia, but continued to back the Southern Transitional Council, formed with its support in May 2017; in January 2022 it supported and directed the operation that took Shabwah. The UN Human Rights Council’s Group of Eminent Experts found in September 2020 (A/HRC/45/6) that the coalition may have failed to take all feasible measures to minimise civilian casualties in air strikes, including the strike on a Dhamar detention centre of 31 August 2019, and that individuals from the coalition, ‘in particular from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates’, may have committed acts that may amount to war crimes; it recommended a referral to the International Criminal Court. The coalition and the UAE submitted observations on the group’s earlier report. After the STC’s December 2025 offensive, a coalition air strike hit ships at Mukalla on 30 December 2025 that the coalition said carried weapons for the STC (later reports said the cargo was for UAE forces); the Yemeni government ordered Emirati forces out within 24 hours and the UAE announced its withdrawal, according to Wikipedia. Resultaat Drawdown in July 2019; final withdrawal announced at the end of December 2025. No UAE sortie or strike totals were published, and monitors rarely distinguish UAE from Saudi raids. The UAE’s own response to the 2020 findings was not retrieved. Wikipedia’s air force article gives 2015–2025 for UAE participation.
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| Houthi attacks on the UAEOperation Hurricane of YemenUAE Air Force and Air Defence | 2022 | Houthis (Ansar Allah) | Patriot, THAAD | — | 0 | |
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Air and missile defence against Houthi drones and ballistic missiles. On 17 January 2022 the Houthis struck Abu Dhabi with drones and missiles, hitting three ADNOC fuel tankers in Musaffah and airport extension works. The Saudi-led coalition said it retaliated the same day with air strikes on Sanaa. On 24 January UAE and US forces intercepted two ballistic missiles heading for Al Dhafra Air Base, according to Wikipedia. Resultaat Attacks stopped after the April 2022 truce in Yemen. The Houthis and the UAE described these events differently; casualty figures are as reported by Wikipedia.
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| De Iran-oorlog van 2026Iranian strikes on the UAE and reported Emirati strikes on IranUAE Air Force and Air Defence | 2026 | Iran | Mirage 2000-9 (reported), F-16E/F (speculated) | — | — | |
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Air defence of the UAE against Iranian missiles and drones; reported, but not officially detailed, air strikes on Iran. After US and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February 2026, Iran fired missiles and drones at Abu Dhabi from 1 March; explosions were reported in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with damage to Dubai International Airport. On 1 March the UAE withdrew its ambassador and diplomatic staff from Iran, citing ‘acts of aggression against civilian sites’, and called for restraint and de-escalation. French Rafales at Al Dhafra engaged and destroyed ‘several dozen’ Iranian drones and missiles by mid-March, according to General Marc Le Bouil, France’s air defence commander. According to Wikipedia the Wall Street Journal reported dozens of Emirati air strikes on military and energy targets at Bandar Abbas and on Qeshm, Abu Musa and Lavan islands and the Asaluyeh petrochemical complex; Opex360 reported that UAE Mirage 2000-9s struck oil installations on Lavan in May. On 17 June, at the G7 in Évian, President Trump said: ‘who the hell is dropping all those bombs? It was UAE’, calling Mohamed bin Zayed ‘an incredible warrior’. Iran regards Abu Musa and the Tunbs as inseparable parts of its territory; the UAE contests Iranian sovereignty over all three islands. Resultaat A US–Iran ceasefire was reported around 17 June 2026; the war’s status in October 2026 was not settled in the sources checked. The UAE has not officially detailed its offensive role; strike reports come from the US president, the Wall Street Journal (via Wikipedia) and Opex360. Iranian figures for damage from Emirati strikes were not found.
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- UN Panel of Experts on Libya, final report S/2022/427 (24 May 2022)Paras 57, 82–87 and Table 3: UAE non-compliance with the arms embargo.
- UN Human Rights Council, Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts on Yemen, A/HRC/45/6 (28 September 2020)Findings on coalition air strikes and on Saudi and UAE individuals (paras 26–31, 66, 105).
- Opex360: Aux Émirats arabes unis, les Rafale français ont abattu des dizaines de drones et de missiles iraniens (18 March 2026)General Marc Le Bouil to L’Opinion, 17 March 2026.
- Opex360: Les Émirats arabes unis ont renforcé les capacités air-sol de leurs Mirage 2000-9 (3 August 2026)Thunder kit and Sniper pod; reported Lavan strikes in May 2026; resale dropped.
Figures verified 2026-10-01. Back to the United Arab Emirates Air Force.