United Arab Emirates Air Force
The United Arab Emirates Air Force grew from the Abu Dhabi Defence Force air wing of May 1968 into what one American analyst has called the most capable Arab air force, paying to develop its own version of the F-16, flying the Mirage 2000-9 in Libya, Yemen and, by the accounts of the US president and the Wall Street Journal, against Iran in 2026 — while 80 Rafale F4s wait to be delivered.
The United Arab Emirates Air Force story: an Abu Dhabi air wing in 1968, an F-16 paid for to order and wars from Libya to Iran
1968–1976: an Abu Dhabi air wing, Pakistani instructors and the union
The air force traces itself to May 1968, when the Abu Dhabi Defence Force formed an air wing while the Trucial States were still under British protection; its first jobs were transport and ground attack, and it was renamed the ADDF Air Force in 1972, according to Wikipedia’s history of the service. Abu Dhabi bought Hawker Hunters and then 32 Dassault Mirage 5s in four versions (12 5AD, 14 radar-equipped 5EAD, three 5RAD reconnaissance aircraft and three 5DAD two-seaters), and in the 1970s and 1980s Pakistan Air Force pilots taught the Emiratis to fly them. During the October 1973 war the ADDF’s Caribou transports flew as air ambulances in Jordan. On 6 May 1976 the armed forces of the seven emirates were unified — the date is still marked as Military Union Day — but unification on paper did not end the emirates’ separate air arms at once.
1976–1999: two air arms under one flag, Mirage 2000 and Hawk
Dubai kept its own Dubai Defence Force Air Wing until 1999, when it merged with the Abu Dhabi force to form the United Arab Emirates Air Force; even then, Wikipedia notes, a Western Air Command in Abu Dhabi and a Central Air Command in Dubai preserved some of the old autonomy. Both emirates went shopping in Britain and France in the 1980s. Dubai ordered eight Hawk 61s on 30 June 1981 and Abu Dhabi 16 Hawk 63s on 2 January 1983, followed by 18 Hawk 102s ordered in 1989. In May 1983 Abu Dhabi ordered 36 Mirage 2000s — 22 single-seat 2000EADs, eight 2000RAD reconnaissance aircraft unique to the UAE and six 2000DAD trainers. Al Dhafra, south of Abu Dhabi, was built the same year. In the 1991 Gulf War UAE Mirage 2000s, C-130s and Bell 212s joined the coalition, though the Mirages saw little action.
1998–2007: paying for its own fighters — Mirage 2000-9 and the F-16 Block 60
The UAE then did something few small states do: it paid to shape its own fighters. In November 1998 it signed a contract for new Mirage 2000-9s and the upgrade of its older Mirage 2000s (Wikipedia gives US$3.2 billion in its Mirage 2000 article and US$3.4 billion in its air force article), later amended to 32 new aircraft and 30 upgrade kits; the first new aircraft arrived in spring 2003, two years late. In March 2000 it ordered 80 F-16E/F Block 60 ‘Desert Falcons’ for US$6.4 billion and funded the whole development of the Block 60 — about US$3 billion, with royalties on any later sale — which gave it the AN/APG-80 AESA radar. The last of the 80 F-16s was delivered in 2007, the culmination, Wikipedia says, of the largest procurement programmes the air force had undertaken. A 2014 request for 30 more F-16s at Block 61 standard was later cancelled.
2011–2020: from Libya to Yemen, an air force that goes to war
The new fleet went to war within a few years. In March 2011 the UAE sent six F-16s and six Mirage 2000s to enforce the no-fly zone over Libya. In 2014, according to Wikipedia, the UAE and Egyptian air forces struck Islamist factions in Tripoli, and UN investigators later reported that the UAE had violated the Libyan arms embargo; Wikipedia, citing a BBC investigation, says UAE-operated Wing Loong II drones killed 26 unarmed cadets at a Tripoli military academy in January 2020. From September 2014 UAE jets struck the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, with Major Mariam Al Mansouri the first Emirati woman to fly fighters in combat. From March 2015 the air force flew in the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen, where a Mirage 2000-9D crashed at Aden on 14 March 2016 and where a UN-appointed group of experts said in 2020 that individuals from the coalition, in particular from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, may have committed acts amounting to war crimes.
2020–2025: GlobalEye, tankers, the F-35 that never came and the Rafale that will
Money also bought reach. Three Airbus A330 MRTT tankers arrived in 2013 and two more were ordered in November 2021; eight C-17s were in service by 2018; and the Saab GlobalEye, ordered in November 2015, gave the UAE a jet-borne early-warning radar, with the fifth and last aircraft delivered in September 2024. The search for a new fighter was bumpier. Washington notified Congress on 10 November 2020 of a US$23 billion package including 50 F-35s and 18 armed drones, after the Abraham Accords; in December 2021 the UAE suspended the talks, citing technical requirements, sovereign operational restrictions and cost-benefit analysis. On 3 December 2021 it ordered 80 Rafale F4s instead — Dassault’s biggest single order — together with 12 Caracal helicopters, and in February 2022 announced it would buy 12 Chinese Hongdu L-15 jet trainers with an option on 36 more. The L-15 replaced the MB-339 in the Al Fursan display team in 2025.
2026: struck by Iran, and striking back
The Iran war of 2026 put the air force in the front line. After US and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February, Iranian missiles and drones hit Abu Dhabi and Dubai from 1 March; the UAE government reported two soldiers, a civilian contractor and 13 civilians killed and 246 injured, as cited by Wikipedia, and withdrew its ambassador from Tehran. French Rafales at Al Dhafra shot down ‘several dozen’ drones and missiles in the first fortnight, according to France’s air defence commander. What the UAE’s own jets did is still mostly unofficial: the Wall Street Journal reported dozens of Emirati air strikes on Iranian targets, Opex360 reported Mirage 2000-9 strikes on Lavan island in May, and on 17 June President Trump said at the G7 that it was the UAE ‘dropping all those bombs’. Abu Dhabi has not published an account of its air operations. In August it kept its 60 Mirages rather than sell them, arming them with Emirati Thunder guidance kits and Sniper pods.
The United Arab Emirates Air Force in numbers
Serviço
- Nome nativo
- القوات الجوية والدفاع الجويAir Force and Air Defence. The longer form, القوات الجوية والدفاع الجوي الاماراتي, is the one given by the English Wikipedia article; the Ministry of Defence site could not be reached to confirm its own spelling
- Fundada
- May 1968As the Air Wing of the Abu Dhabi Defence Force; renamed ADDF Air Force in 1972. The UAE armed forces were unified on 6 May 1976, and the Dubai Defence Force Air Wing merged in 1999 to form the UAE Air Force
- Parte de
- United Arab Emirates Armed ForcesSupreme Commander: President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, himself a former commander of the air force. Chief of Staff: Lt Gen Issa Al Mazrouei
- Comandante
- AVM Ibrahim Nasser Mohammed Al AlawiAs named by Wikipedia; appointment date not confirmed on an official page
- Air commands
- Western (Abu Dhabi) and Central (Dubai)Kept after the 1999 merger to preserve some of the two emirates’ autonomy; Al Dhafra houses Western Air Command
- Pilot training
- Khalifa bin Zayed Air College, Al AinSyllabus Grob G 115, PC-7, Hawk, then F-16 Block 60 or Mirage 2000-9 (Wikipedia)
Força
- Pessoal
- About 4,000Wikipedia’s figure (given for 2017); no official figure was found
- Aeronaves de combate
-
- F-16E/F Block 60 Desert Falcon — 76 (55 E, 21 F)
- Mirage 2000-9 — 59 (44 single-seat, 15 two-seat)
Wikipedia’s inventory, October 2026. 80 F-16E/F and 62 Mirage 2000-9 (32 new and 30 upgraded) were delivered, so the gaps reflect losses and aircraft in storage or overhaul
- Special mission and tankers
-
- Saab GlobalEye — 5
- Airbus A330 MRTT — 5
GlobalEye deliveries ran from April 2020 to September 2024; MRTTs arrived in 2013, with two more ordered in November 2021
- Transporte
-
- C-17A Globemaster III — 8
- Airbus C295 — 7
- C-130 Hercules — 4
Wikipedia inventory; the C-17 figure is confirmed for January 2018 in the C-17 article
- Treinadores
-
- Pilatus PC-7 — 31
- Pilatus PC-21 — 25
- BAE Hawk Mk 102 — 12
- Grob G 115 — 12
- Hongdu L-15 — number not published
Wikipedia inventory. The Al Fursan team has flown the L-15 since 2025; how many have been delivered was not published
- Helicópteros
-
- AH-64D Apache — 30
- CH-47 Chinook — 28
Listed under the air force by Wikipedia, which counts 12 of the Chinooks as aircraft from Libya; which UAE command flies them was not confirmed
- Drones
- Wing Loong II and Emirati typesThe UAE was the launch customer for the Wing Loong II in 2017. Wikipedia also lists locally built types such as Jeniah, Garmoosha and Jernas; numbers are not published
- defesa aérea terrestre
- Patriot PAC-3, THAAD, Cheongung II and othersIn March 2026 the US approved, as an emergency, a further THAAD radar, 10 counter-drone systems, 400 AMRAAMs and an F-16 upgrade worth about US$8.5 billion in all
Infraestrutura
- Main air bases
-
- Al Dhafra — Fighter Wing, F-16E/F and Mirage 2000-9
- Al Minhad — Hawk, transport and tanker squadrons
- Al Bateen — Transport Wing
- Al Safran — desert base (about 2008)
- Al Ain — Khalifa bin Zayed Air College
As described by Wikipedia; base-by-base unit assignments are not officially published
- Foreign air forces
- United States and France at Al DhafraThe US 380th Air Expeditionary Wing has been there since January 2002; French Rafales of EC 1/7 Provence since June 2016
- Runways at Al Dhafra
- Two of 3,661 m13L/31R and 13R/31L, per Wikipedia; the national AIP could not be checked for this page
- Equipe de exibição
- Al FursanFormed 2008, first displays 2010 on MB-339NAT; Hongdu L-15 from the 2025 Dubai Airshow
How the United Arab Emirates Air Force is organised
One air force and air defence service of the UAE Armed Forces, with a Western Air Command in Abu Dhabi and a Central Air Command in Dubai kept since the Abu Dhabi and Dubai air arms merged in 1999. The front line is about 76 F-16E/F Block 60 Desert Falcons and 59 Mirage 2000-9s by Wikipedia’s count, with the Fighter Wing at Al Dhafra; five GlobalEye radar jets and five A330 MRTT tankers give it unusual reach. Pilots train at the Khalifa bin Zayed Air College in Al Ain, and 80 Rafale F4s are on order.
United Arab Emirates Air Force and Air Defence
The air arm of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces, formed when the Dubai Defence Force Air Wing merged with the Abu Dhabi force in 1999; a Western Air Command in Abu Dhabi and a Central Air Command in Dubai were kept to preserve some of the two emirates’ autonomy. English Wikipedia names AVM Ibrahim Nasser Mohammed Al Alawi as Commander of the Air Force and Air Defence; his date of appointment was not confirmed on an official page. The Supreme Commander, President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is himself a former pilot and commander of the air force; the Chief of Staff is Lt Gen Issa Al Mazrouei.
Fighter Wing
English and French Wikipedia place the wing, and most of the air force’s combat aircraft, at Al Dhafra, headquarters of Western Air Command: about 76 F-16E/F Block 60 Desert Falcons and 59 Mirage 2000-9s by Wikipedia’s count. The UAE does not publish squadron-to-base assignments or aircraft numbers by base. The airfield is shared with the US 380th Air Expeditionary Wing and France’s Base aérienne 104.
Mirage 2000-9 squadron
English Wikipedia alone places one Mirage 2000-9 squadron at Al Safran, which it describes as a new desert base believed to have opened around 2008; this is consistent with French Wikipedia’s statement that two of three Mirage 2000 squadrons are at Al Dhafra, but it is not confirmed officially. In 2026 the Mirages were armed with the Emirati Thunder guidance kit and the Sniper pod instead of being sold (Opex360, citing EDGE).
Transport Wing and tanker squadrons
The fleet counts eight C-17As, seven C295s, four C-130s and five A330 MRTT tankers. English Wikipedia’s air force article places a Transport Wing with Hercules, CN-235 and helicopter squadrons at Al Bateen, although its article on the airport says military control there ended in 2008; it lists Hercules transports and A330 tankers at Al Minhad, under Central Air Command.
GlobalEye and Group 22
Five Saab GlobalEye early-warning jets, ordered from November 2015 and delivered between April 2020 and September 2024; their base is not given in the sources for this page. English Wikipedia names Group 22, for counter-insurgency and reconnaissance, at Sweihan, without its aircraft types. The UAE was the launch customer for the Wing Loong II armed drone in 2017; numbers are not published.
Khalifa bin Zayed Air College
Founded as a school of aviation at Al Dhafra in June 1982 and moved to Al Ain in 1995–1996. Wikipedia gives the syllabus as Grob G 115, PC-7, Hawk, then F-16 Block 60 or Mirage 2000-9; it lists Hawk Mk 102s at Al Minhad. The Al Fursan display team has flown the Hongdu L-15 since the 2025 Dubai Airshow; its home base is not stated.
Apache and Chinook fleets
Wikipedia lists 30 AH-64D Apaches and 28 CH-47 Chinooks under the air force, 12 of the Chinooks described as from Libya; which UAE command flies them, and from where, was not confirmed.
What the United Arab Emirates Air Force flies today
Cada tipo de cobrança, com link para sua página no Livro das Feras, quando houver. Os números indicam as aeronaves registradas, não as aeronaves disponíveis em um determinado dia.
| Tipo | Papel | Em serviço | Desde | Unidades | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lockheed Martin F-16E/F Block 60 Desert FalconEm serviço | Caça multifuncional | 76 | — | 55 F-16E and 21 F-16F in Wikipedia’s inventory; 80 delivered. | ||
| Dassault Mirage 2000-9 / 2000-9DEm serviço | Caça multifuncional | 59 | 2003 | — | 44 single-seat and 15 two-seat in Wikipedia’s inventory; 32 new aircraft (20 -9, 12 -9D) plus 30 upgraded older aircraft. | |
| Saab GlobalEyeEm serviço | alerta aéreo antecipado e controle | 5 | 2020 | — | Two ordered November 2015, a third February 2017, two more January 2021. | |
| Airbus A330 MRTTEm serviço | Transporte de tanques | 5 | 2013 | — | Three from 2013, two more ordered 14 November 2021. | |
| Boeing C-17A Globemaster IIIEm serviço | Transporte estratégico | 8 | — | 8 in operation as of January 2018. | ||
| Lockheed Martin C-130 HerculesEm serviço | Transporte tático | 4 | — | Wikipedia inventory; variants not confirmed. | ||
| Airbus C295Em serviço | Transporte tático | 7 | — | Wikipedia inventory. | ||
| BAE Hawk Mk 102Em serviço | Advanced trainer and light attack | 12 | 1993 | — | 12 in service at Al Minhad (Wikipedia); 18 ordered. | |
| Pilatus PC-21Em serviço | Instrutor básico e avançado | 25 | 2010 | — | 25 ordered at the 2009 Dubai Airshow. | |
| Pilatus PC-7Em serviço | Instrutor básico | 31 | — | Wikipedia inventory. | ||
| Grob G 115Em serviço | Instrutor básico | 12 | — | Wikipedia inventory. | ||
| Hongdu L-15Em serviço | Treinador a jato avançado | — | 2025 | — | 12 announced on 23 February 2022 with an option for 36; delivered numbers not published. | |
| CAIG Wing Loong IIEm serviço | Drone de reconhecimento armado | — | 2017 | — | Número não divulgado. | |
| Boeing AH-64D ApacheEm serviço | Helicóptero de ataque | 30 | — | Wikipedia inventory; which UAE command operates them was not confirmed. | ||
| Boeing CH-47 ChinookEm serviço | Heavy-lift helicopter | 28 | — | Wikipedia inventory, including 12 described as from Libya. |
Sob encomenda
| Tipo | Encomendado | Primeira entrega | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dassault Rafale F4Sob encomenda | 80 | 2027 | Ordered 3 December 2021 with 12 Caracal helicopters, Dassault’s largest order.
MaisOpex360 gave deliveries as 2027–2031 and the package as about 16 billion euros (2 billion for MBDA weapons); French Wikipedia gives 17 billion euros. English Wikipedia says the first aircraft was presented in January 2025 with deliveries from the end of 2026, and that the UAE withdrew from co-financing the Rafale F5 upgrade in April 2026; neither point could be confirmed elsewhere. |
|
| Calidus B-250Sob encomenda | 24 | Emirati light attack and training aircraft, first flown in July 2017; 24 ordered at the 2019 Dubai Airshow.
MaisEnglish Wikipedia’s air force article also mentions 40 more, which could not be confirmed. |
||
| Hongdu L-15Sob encomenda | — | 2025 | 12 announced on 23 February 2022 with an option for 36 more (Wikipedia lists 48 projected). Delivered numbers were not published. |
Every type the United Arab Emirates Air Force has retired
8 types, from the BAE Hawk 61 (Dubai) and Hawk 63/63A/63C (Abu Dhabi) to the Aermacchi MB-339A / MB-339NAT. Os números máximos representam as aeronaves incorporadas à frota ao longo de toda a sua vida útil, e não a força total da frota em uma data específica.
| Tipo | Papel | Pico | Servido | Substituído por | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aermacchi MB-339A / MB-339NAT | Trainer and display aircraft | — | — | Hongdu L-15 | Five MB-339A for Dubai; Al Fursan flew seven, six of them converted to NAT. | |
| Dassault Mirage 2000EAD/RAD/DAD | Multirole fighter and reconnaissance | 36 | — | Mirage 2000-9 | 22 2000EAD, 8 2000RAD, 6 2000DAD. | |
| Dassault Mirage 5AD/5EAD/5RAD/5DAD | Caça-bombardeiro | 32 | — | Miragem 2000 | 12 5AD, 14 5EAD, 3 5RAD, 3 5DAD. | |
| Caçador de Hawker | Caça-bombardeiro | — | — | — | Números não confirmados. | |
| BAE Hawk 61 (Dubai) and Hawk 63/63A/63C (Abu Dhabi) | Treinador avançado | 29 | 1983– | — | 9 Hawk 61 (8 plus 1 attrition replacement) and 20 Hawk 63 (16 plus 4 63C). | |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou | Transporte tático | — | — | — | Número não confirmado. | |
| Sino 212 | helicóptero utilitário | — | — | — | Número não confirmado. | |
| Boeing 707, Aeritalia G.222, CASA C-212, Puma | Transporte | — | — | — | Números não confirmados. |
Where the United Arab Emirates Air Force flies from
Os pinos pretos representam bases ativas, os pinos ocos representam aeródromos que foram desativados. Al Dhafra, the main fighter base, is shared with the US 380th Air Expeditionary Wing and a French Rafale detachment, and Al Minhad near Dubai has been the Gulf hub of coalition partners since 2001. Al Bateen, on Abu Dhabi island, has been an executive airport since 2008, though Wikipedia still lists a Transport Wing there. Sweihan, Al Safran and the closed RAF Sharjah have no published coordinates and carry no pin.
| Base | OACI | Status | Pista | Unidades e aeronaves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al AinKhalifa bin Zayed Air CollegeEmirate of Abu Dhabi (Eastern Region) | OMAL | Ativo | 01/194,005 m |
|
| Al BateenAl Bateen Executive AirportEmirate of Abu Dhabi | OMAD | Ativo | 13/313,202 m |
|
| Al DhafraEmirate of Abu Dhabi | OMAM | Ativo | 13L/31R3.661 m13R/31L3.661 m |
|
| Al MinhadEmirate of Dubai | OMDM | Ativo | 09/273,932 masfalto e concreto |
|
| Al SafranEmirate of Abu Dhabi (Al Dhafra Region) | Ativo | — |
|
|
| SweihanAbu Dhabi NortheastEmirate of Abu Dhabi | OMAW | Ativo | — |
|
Nenhuma base aérea corresponde a essa busca.
Who is stationed where in the United Arab Emirates Air Force
Unidades voadoras por base, unidades atuais primeiro. The UAE does not publish which squadrons fly from which base, so the Emirati units here are those English Wikipedia names: the Fighter Wing at Al Dhafra, a Mirage 2000-9 squadron at Al Safran, the Transport Wing at Al Bateen, Group 22 at Sweihan and the air college at Al Ain. American, French, Australian, British and Canadian units at Al Dhafra, Al Minhad and Al Bateen are listed and marked as not Emirati. Where Wikipedia’s articles disagree, as on Al Bateen’s military role, the entry says so.
- Fighter Wing, UAE Air ForceAla de caça · ativa
- Lockheed Martin F-16E/F Block 60 Desert Falcon, Dassault Mirage 2000-9 / 2000-9D
- 380th Air Expeditionary Wing (US Air Force)Air expeditionary wing (foreign tenant) · foreign
- U-2S, RQ-4 Global Hawk, F-22A (rotational), F-35A (rotational)
- Base aérienne 104 and Escadron de chasse 1/7 Provence (French Air and Space Force)Provence · Fighter squadron (foreign tenant) · foreign
- Dassault Rafale
- UAE Air Force flying unitsAdvanced training, transport and tanker squadrons · active
- BAE Hawk Mk 102, Lockheed C-130H-30 and L-100-30 Hercules, Airbus A330 MRTT
- Australian Defence Force, HQ Joint Task Force 633 (Camp Baird)National headquarters and air mobility hub (foreign tenant) · foreign
- AP-3C Orion, F/A-18F Super Hornet, E-7A Wedgetail, KC-30A, C-130J Hércules
- No. 906 Expeditionary Air Wing, Royal Air Force (Donnelly Lines)Expeditionary air wing (foreign tenant) · foreign
- —
- Camp Mirage (Canadian Forces)2001–2010
- CC-130 Hercules, CC-150 Polaris and CC-177 Globemaster III (visiting)
- Transport Wing, UAE Air ForceTransport and helicopter wing · active
- C-130H Hércules, CASA CN-235, IAR 330 Puma and other helicopters
- 314th Military Airlift Squadron and 41st Electronic Combat Squadron (US Air Force)1990–1991
- C-130E Hercules (16), EC-130H Compass Call (6)
- Khalifa bin Zayed Air CollegeFlying training college · active
- Grob G 115, Pilatus PC-7, Pilatus PC-21
- Group 22Counter-insurgency and reconnaissance group · active
- —
- Mirage 2000-9 squadronEsquadrão de caça · ativo
- Dassault Mirage 2000-9 / 2000-9D
Nenhuma unidade corresponde a essa pesquisa.
United Arab Emirates Air Force milestones, 1914 to today
May: the Abu Dhabi Defence Force forms an air wing, for transport and ground attack.
The air wing is renamed the ADDF Air Force.
October: ADDF Caribous fly as air ambulances in Jordan during the Arab–Israeli war.
6 May: the armed forces of the seven emirates are unified, now marked as Military Union Day.
2 January: Abu Dhabi buys 16 Hawk 63s. May: 36 Mirage 2000s ordered. Al Dhafra air base built.
17 January–23 February: UAE Mirage 2000s, C-130s and Bell 212s take part in the Gulf War air campaign.
November: contract for new Mirage 2000-9s and the upgrade of older Mirage 2000s.
The Dubai Defence Force Air Wing merges with the Abu Dhabi force to form the United Arab Emirates Air Force.
March: 80 F-16E/F Block 60 ordered for US$6.4 billion, the UAE funding the development.
Final deliveries of the 80 F-16E/F Block 60.
March: six F-16s and six Mirage 2000s join the Libya no-fly zone.
UAE and Egyptian air strikes in Libya reported (Wikipedia). September: UAE jets join strikes on the Islamic State.
March: the air force joins the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen. November: GlobalEye ordered.
April: first GlobalEye delivered. 10 November: US notifies Congress of 50 F-35s and 18 armed drones for the UAE.
3 December: 80 Rafale F4 ordered. December: the UAE suspends the F-35 talks.
17 January: Houthi drones and missiles kill three civilians in Abu Dhabi; 24 January: two ballistic missiles intercepted on their way to Al Dhafra. 23 February: L-15 trainers announced.
Al Fursan switches to the L-15 at the Dubai Airshow. 30 December: after a coalition strike at Mukalla, the UAE announces the withdrawal of its remaining forces from Yemen (as reported by Wikipedia).
From 1 March: Iranian missile and drone attacks on the UAE. 17 June: President Trump says the UAE bombed Iran. July: Mirage 2000-9s armed with Thunder kits and Sniper pods instead of being sold.
Every war the United Arab Emirates Air Force has fought
Missões e perdas onde constam nos registros, e um espaço em branco honesto onde não constam.
- The October war 1973 Caribou transports flew as air ambulances
- Gulf War 1991 Mirage 2000s flew with the coalition; C-130s and Bell 212s in support
- Libya no-fly zone 2011 Helped enforce the UN-mandated no-fly zone
- Second Libyan civil war 2014–2020 Reported air strikes in 2014 and drone operations in support of the Haftar-led forces; the UAE has not published an account
- Campaign against the Islamic State 2014–2015 Strike missions against Islamic State targets with the US-led coalition
United Arab Emirates Air Force news from Afterburner
Everything MiGFlug’s magazine has published on the United Arab Emirates Air Force and the aircraft it flies. Esta lista é atualizada automaticamente — novas histórias do Afterburner aparecem aqui.
Everything people ask about the United Arab Emirates Air Force
What is the United Arab Emirates Air Force called in Arabic?
What fighter jets does the UAE Air Force fly?
When was the UAE Air Force founded?
What is special about the F-16E/F Block 60 Desert Falcon?
Why did the UAE not buy the F-35?
What is Al Fursan?
Did the UAE Air Force fight in Yemen?
What did the UAE do in Libya?
Did the UAE bomb Iran in 2026?
Which foreign air forces are based in the UAE?
Read the aircraft the United Arab Emirates Air Force flew
Cada tipo com uma página no Livro das Feras, primeiro em serviço e depois pelo ano em que deixou a frota.
Todos os fatos foram verificados.
- 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: Les Émirats arabes unis commandent 80 avions Rafale au standard F4 et 12 Caracal (3 December 2021)Deliveries 2027–2031; about 16 billion euros; F-35 context.
- 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: Washington approuve des ventes d’équipements militaires au Koweït et aux Émirats (20 March 2026)Emergency US approvals for the UAE, about US$8.5 billion.
- 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.
- Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal opens UK facility on UAE air base (Royal Air Force, 6 March 2024)Official; Donnelly Lines at Al Minhad, Sgt William Donnelly, Al Fursan and A400M flypast, quote of AVM Pratley.
- The Princess Royal visits the United Arab Emirates (Royal.uk, 6 March 2024)Official; Donnelly Lines opened; Sgt Donnelly died in the UAE on 14 February 1943.
- 906 Expeditionary Air Wing stands up in the United Arab Emirates (UK Government, 23 January 2013)Official; role of the wing, 6 Squadron Typhoons, quote of Air Cdre Phil Beach. Does not name the base; Wikipedia places it at Al Minhad.
- Al Minhad Air Base (Nautilus Institute, Australian Forces Abroad, 19 December 2011, updated)Research compilation; ADF presence since 2003, command move from Baghdad in late 2008, Camp Baird (February 2014), about 800 personnel in 2014.
- Al Minhad Air Base: a closer look at Australia’s base of operations in the Middle East (ABC News, Michael Brissenden, 15 September 2014)Major media; RAAF Orions from 2003, 2008 status of forces agreement, about 500 permanently based, 2014 deployment.
- Operation Accordion (Australian Department of Defence)Official; HQ Joint Task Force 633 and ADF support from the Gulf States. Does not name the base.
- The worst-kept secret in the Persian Gulf (The Globe and Mail, Paul Koring and Borzou Daragahi, 21 May 2005)Major media; Camp Mirage on Minhad air base, established autumn 2001, more than 200 personnel, 3,000 sorties.
- Secret base to be shuttered over failed airline talks: source (CTV News, 10 October 2010)Major media; the landing-rights dispute (six weekly flights under a 1999 agreement; UAE wanted daily flights to Calgary, Vancouver and other cities).
- Canada relocating Camp Mirage operations to Cyprus (CTV News, 5 November 2010)Major media; closing ceremony, up to 32,500 personnel passing through a year, move to Cyprus.
- UAE disappointed with Canadian actions (Gulf News, 12 October 2010)UAE position, via an unnamed UAE official: the arrangement had expired in June and been extended three months; the minister’s aircraft had been told in advance.
- THAAD, in first operational use, destroys midrange ballistic missile in Houthi attack (Defense News, 21 January 2022)Specialist media; Emirati THAAD intercept near Al Dhafra on 17 January 2022 (anonymous sources); CENTCOM on US personnel in bunkers about 30 minutes.
- US Air Force sends next generation fighter jets to UAE (The National, 17 April 2019)UAE media; first USAF F-35A deployment to the Middle East, at Al Dhafra; numbers withheld.
- 380th Air Expeditionary Wing fact sheet (US Air Forces Central)Official; wing established 25 January 2002; missions. Does not name the base.
Figures verified 2026-10-01. Order of Battle pages are regenerated from a single dataset; if a number here disagrees with a Book of Beasts page, this page is the more recent of the two.
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