Abu Dhabi: In a move aimed at boosting its defence forces, United Arab Emirates Armed Forces announced on February 23 a 5.9 billion dirhams (US$1.61 billion) in defence equipment and services contracts signed with local and international companies.

The single largest contract was a 2.96 billion dirham deal with UAE’s Yas Holding to supply the armed forces with missiles, said spokesman Naval Staff Colonel Fahed Nasser al-Thehli at Abu Dhabi’s Idex defence exhibition.

Boeing was awarded a 112 million dirham contract for a C-17 transport aircraft simulator. A 66.4 million dirham contract was signed with France’s Thales and a 40.7 million dirham deal with Germany’s Rheinmettal was also announced.

This week, the armed forces have announced 17.9 billion dirhams in deals, of which some had been previously disclosed by the manufacturer.