UAE Armed Forces places Dh1.8bn weapons order with Tawazun

The UAE Armed Forces has placed a Dh1.8 billion weapons order with Tawazun, the Abu Dhabi-based arms maker.

The contract is for the production of an undisclosed quantity of Tawazun Dynamics’ Al Tariq precision-guided weapon systems, Tawazun said yesterday. The weapons are made by the company’s Tawazun Dynamics unit.

“The order is part of GHQ’s drive to support home-grown defence manufacturing capabilities, to provide job and career development opportunities for the UAE nationals and to benefit from Tawazun’s vast experience in the industrial and manufacturing fields,” the company said in a statement.

Tawazun Dynamics was established in September 2012 as a joint venture between Tawazun Holding and the Dynamics division of South Africa’s largest defence manufacturer, Denel. It is 51 per cent owned by Tawazun while Denel has 49 per cent of the company.

The UAE Armed Forces and Tawazun have also signed a contract for laser-guided Talon missiles – currently being produced in partnership with Raytheon Missile Systems.

Under the deal, Tawazun will manage the integration of the Talon system into the UAE Armed Forces’ existing rocket systems and deliver a training program on the system for military personnel.

Raytheon is currently finalising the airworthiness and qualification of the Talon system on Apache helicopters.