UAE named as buyer behind Elbit Systems' 'largest ever' arms deal: Report

The $2.3-billion deal between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv calls for the delivery of advanced defense systems over an eight-year period  

News Desk - The Cradle 

The UAE has been identified as the undisclosed buyer behind a $2.3-billion contract signed last month by Israeli arms maker Elbit Systems, according to a report by Intelligence Online published on 18 December.

The outlet said the agreement, which Elbit described only as a “strategic solution for an international customer,” is the largest deal in the company’s history.

Elbit announced the contract without naming the purchasing state or disclosing the systems involved, stating only that the project would be implemented over an eight-year period. 

The company also refused to indicate the customer’s region, refraining from specifying even the continent. Elbit has so far declined to comment on the report.

While the precise components of the UAE deal remain under a publication ban, Intelligence Online described the contract as being of “historic scope.” 

The outlet placed the agreement among a series of major arms exports by Israeli defense companies in recent years.

The largest of these was Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) sale of the Arrow 3 system to Germany in 2023 for $3.5 billion. More recently, Rafael secured a Romanian Ministry of Defense tender at the end of June for short-range and very short-range air defense systems – a deal estimated at $2.2 billion.

Earlier landmark exports cited include IAI’s sale of Barak 8 missile systems to India in April 2017 for $1.6 billion, followed roughly a month later by a $630-million deal for the naval version of the same system.

The exposure of the UAE as Elbit’s mystery client comes amid mounting condemnation from human rights organizations over Israel’s genocide in Gaza, with groups such as Amnesty International and Oxfam warning that the transfer of advanced military systems risks enabling serious violations of international law and further civilian harm.

The revelation comes after a quiet expansion of UAE–Israel cooperation maintained throughout Israel’s genocide in Gaza, including progress on a cross-regional transport corridor kept largely out of public view. 

Israeli media reported in November that construction of the so-called “Peace Railway,” designed to move goods from India through the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan to Haifa for onward export to Europe and the US, has already reached an advanced stage, with Emirati and Israeli officials agreeing to establish a joint administration to manage the route.

In October, Israeli defense firm Controp Precision Technologies opened its first UAE subsidiary in Abu Dhabi to produce, sell, and service Israeli electro-optical surveillance systems under Israeli oversight, further embedding the Emirati defense market into Israel’s arms industry.

The deepening relationship has also extended into the diplomatic sphere, as the UAE purchased land worth tens of millions of Israeli shekels (NIS) to construct its first permanent embassy in Israel back in October.

Elbit Systems reported record profits in November, fueled by arms sales during Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza and a wave of European contracts, while disclosing a $25.2-billion backlog and its largest-ever $2.3-billion weapons deal, now revealed to be with the UAE.

Europe continues to rank among Israel’s most lucrative arms markets.

According to Intelligence Online, the scale and secrecy of the UAE agreement mirror Elbit’s earlier $1.63-billion contract with Serbia, signed in August, in which the company likewise avoided detailing the content of the deal or identifying the buyer in its initial disclosures.

The five-year Serbia deal includes long-range precision artillery rockets, unmanned aerial combat platforms and drones, advanced intelligence, surveillance, electronic warfare systems, and upgrades to combat vehicles and defense platforms.

In November, Haaretz reported that Israel and Albania signed an arms deal in September led by Elbit Systems to supply artillery, mortars, and tactical drones while establishing domestic weapons production lines as Israeli arms firms continue securing contracts worldwide despite Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Back in August, Private Eye reported that the British Ministry of Defense is moving toward a $2.7-billion contract with Elbit Systems that would see Israel’s largest arms firm train up to 60,000 British troops annually and become a strategic partner to the UK military.