Will South Korea and UAE Accelerate Transport Aircraft Development?

Agreement on Bilateral Defense and Defense Industry Cooperation Initiatives

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to strengthen cooperation in the defense and defense industry sectors.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 22nd, Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop and UAE Minister of State for Defense Affairs Muhammad Ahmed Al Bowardi held a meeting on the 21st (local time) at the UAE Ministry of Defense in Abu Dhabi to evaluate the achievements of defense and defense industry cooperation between the two countries last year and to agree on tasks to be pursued this year. As this ministerial-level meeting took place about a month after President Yoon Suk-yeol's state visit to the UAE last month, they also discussed concrete implementation plans for defense agreements between the two heads of state.

On the 21st (local time), Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop, who visited the UAE Ministry of Defense for the Korea-UAE Defense Ministers' Meeting, is having a conversation with Mohammad Ahmed Al Bowardi, UAE Minister of State for Defense Affairs. (Photo by Ministry of National Defense)

At the meeting, both sides evaluated that the 'Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Defense Industry Cooperation' and the 'Memorandum of Understanding on International Joint Development of Multipurpose Transport Aircraft' signed at the last summit became major milestones in defense industry cooperation. Based on this, they agreed to identify the requirements for weapon systems that can be jointly developed and produced and to identify areas suitable for joint research.

Both sides also highly appreciated the continuous promotion of military exchange cooperation, including special operations training and joint exercises, expansion of personnel exchanges, and mutual observation of education and training, and agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas of common interest such as cyber, space, and digitized training in the future.

Minister Al Bowardi particularly evaluated that the Ark Unit plays a significant role in enhancing the combat power of the UAE military as a symbol of defense cooperation between the two countries. Minister Lee assessed that defense and defense industry cooperation between the two countries has been closely conducted based on special trust and a solid cooperative system at the summit level, and expressed hope that it will continue to develop as a future-oriented and mutually beneficial relationship.

Minister Al Bowardi expressed gratitude to Minister Lee for accepting the invitation to the UAE International Defense Exhibition (IDEX) and expressed expectations that defense and defense industry cooperation will become even stronger through this visit. Minister Lee also explained to Minister Al Bowardi the government's efforts to deter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and requested UAE's support and cooperation. Minister Al Bowardi stated that the UAE will continue to support the South Korean government's efforts for the complete denuclearization of North Korea and the deterrence and response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, and will continue to work to promote friendly relations between the two countries.

Immediately after the meeting, Minister Lee visited the UAE military's Korean-made surface-to-air guided missile unit 'Cheongung-II' (M-SAM II) located in Abu Dhabi to encourage the UAE military and defense industry officials. The Ministry of National Defense stated, "The M-SAM II successfully completed its first live-fire test conducted locally in the UAE last December, verifying the performance and reliability of the M-SAM II in desert environments and confirming operational capabilities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.