UAE President Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed (MBZ) received U.S. President Donald Trump on 15/5/2025 in Abu Dhabi.
The two sides signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) formalizing the establishment of a “comprehensive U.S.-UAE Major Defense Partnership.”
However, the MQ-9B SeaGuardian drone deal was excluded from the defense partnership between the two countries.
The note provides a comprehensive overview of the following aspects:
- The reason behind excluding the MQ-9 deal from the defense partnership
- Emirati defense officials' views on the MQ-9 deal
- Another type of drones the UAE is eyeing
The note also highlights Emirati options to procure advanced drones if talks with the U.S. over the MQ-9 reached a dead end.
