UAE cleared to buy up to 4,569 Armored Vehicles for $556M

The US State Department has given its nod to sell 4,569 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles not used by the US Army, to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for $556 million.

“The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of the UAE of Excess Defense Articles (EDA) of up to four thousand five hundred sixty-nine (4,569) MRAP vehicles for an estimated cost of $556 million. These vehicles will be coming from US Army stocks as EDA; the required EDA Congressional Notifications were made August 6, 2014,” Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a release Thursday.

The UAE package includes a mix of MaxxPro made Long Wheel Base (LWB), MaxxPro Recovery Vehicle (MRV), MaxxPro LWB chassis, MaxxPro Dash, MaxxPro Bases Capsule, MaxxPro MEAP Capsules, MaxxPro Plus, Caiman Multi-Terrain Vehicles without armor, Caiman Base, Caiman Plus, Caiman Capsule, and MRAP All-Terrain Vehicles.

The UAE intends to utilize the MRAP vehicles to increase force protection, to conduct humanitarian assistance operations, and to protect critical infrastructure.

The country has bought tactical vehicles- Caiman, MaxxPro and M-ATV vehicles- from the American stocks earlier. They were reportedly used in conflicts in Libya and Yemen.

The UAE has also been accused of donating MRAP vehicles to allied nations’ armed forces.