With the menace of Iran next door, the need to provide multilayered security is increasingly driving military planning in the United Arab Emirates. "It will be important to keep threats at bay," says the Commander of the UAE Air Force and Air Defense, Maj. Gen. Mohammed bin Swaidan Saeed Al Gamzi. That situation has driven a strong interest in air defenses. Although the UAE has previously paid attention to this area, what has changed is the realization that the complex levels of threats emanating from its neighbor requires a similarly sophisticated air defense umbrella. Rather than just focusing on missile defense, Al Gamzi says, the UAE now also is buying equipment to defend against cruise missile attacks and unmanned aircraft infringing on its airspace.
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