
UAE gets American drones as China ramps up sales
In only a few years, China has been able to research, produce and refine its armed unmanned aerial vehicles.by Alex Gatopoulos7 hours ago
An MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted drone aircraft performs aerial manoeuvres in Nevada, US [File: Cory D Payne via Reuters]
The White House's recent decision to allow the sale of advanced weapons systems to the United Arab Emirates highlights the deliberate shift in US policy towards the UAE after it signed "normalisation" accords with Israel.
Why would the UAE want American drones as it already has dozens of Chinese armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in its inventory? And why has the United States now agreed to these sales, overcoming its traditional reticence to sell sophisticated weapons to other countries?
Chinese armed drones have ...