FARNBOROUGH // Boeing hopes to sell as many as 16 Chinook helicopters to the UAE within the next year as part of a defence procurement package worth US$2 billion, (Dh7.34bn), according to executives of the aerospace company.
The pending deal for up to 16 CH-47 Chinooks is being brokered between the UAE and US governments as part of a package that is expected to include equipment, parts and training.
Separately, Boeing officials said they were working with Abu Dhabi officials to help aerospace manufacturing companies expand into producing parts for military aircraft.
Once concluded, the $2bn package would mark another major contract win for the US defence and aerospace giant, which has previously signed deals for other helicopter and transport planes with the UAE and has pinned hopes on the region to help it generate new revenues amid declining defence spending in its traditional home market of the US.
"2011 is the target we are hoping for," said Paul Oliver, the regional vice president of international development for Boeing, regarding the Chinook sale.
Last year, Boeing signed a contract with the UAE for six heavy-lift C-17 military planes, in a deal estimated to be worth $1.2bn. The contract gave the C-17 a crucial boost as it sought to find enough buyers to keep the production line open. Its current order book only extends to late 2012.
The deal is a prime example of the UAE helping not only to preserve US jobs amid the downturn but also to create them, said Dennis Muilenburg, the president and chief executive of Boeing Defence, Space and Security.
The US government, under the administration of President Barack Obama, is pushing an export campaign to protect US jobs during the recession, which includes senior Boeing executives on the export promotion council.
Mr Muilenburg also hailed Boeing's relationship with Mubadala Development, a strategic investment company owned by the Abu Dhabi Government, as an example of the types of alliance building Boeing hopes to forge in the Middle East.
The Mubadala subsidiary Strata Manufacturing is building a facility in Al Ain to make aircraft parts for Airbus and other customers and Boeing planned to award work packages not only to its civilian aircraft but also for military aircraft, he said. "It's a little too early to discuss specific aircraft programmes but the talks are going well."
The UAE is the world's largest importer of US arms and aerospace technology. It is expanding its air force fleets as it seeks to take on a growing humanitarian and peacekeeping role in the region. It is one of the few Arab nations with a peacekeeping force in Afghanistan and flies goods and aid throughout the Muslim world. "The humanitarian aspect of our planes is almost as big a driver as anything else," Mr Oliver said. The UAE operates a fleet of 12 Chinooks built in the 1970s that it bought from Libya in 2003, although these were produced under licence by AgustaWestland of Italy, not Boeing.
The new sale would help the UAE to transport equipment and troops in the region and support US and NATO airlifts in Afghanistan, according to the US Defence Security Co-operation Agency.
Boeing has extensive relationships within the Middle East but Mr Oliver singled out the UAE as a "discriminating customer" whose actions were often replicated by other neighbouring states. "They tend to shop for the best," he said. "The countries in the region really watch what they do."
Another competition Boeing has entered in the country is one to supply the UAE Armed Forces with an integrated air defence programme, or battle management system. The product is basically a computer network that will gather radar data to co-ordinate the launch of missiles and fighter jets and will see Boeing line up against its traditional rivals including Raytheon, Thales, Lockheed Martinand Northrop Grumman. Northrop is the incumbent having supplied the UAE's first system.
"We are in the technical evaluation phase," Mr Oliver said. "They are looking at all proposals from technical aspect," he said, adding that he expected to have a "clear idea of where we stand in the competition next year".
igale@thenational.ae
8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21
- Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
- Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
- Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
- Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
- Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
- Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
- Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
- Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
Non-oil%20trade
%3Cp%3ENon-oil%20trade%20between%20the%20UAE%20and%20Japan%20grew%20by%2034%20per%20cent%20over%20the%20past%20two%20years%2C%20according%20to%20data%20from%20the%20Federal%20Competitiveness%20and%20Statistics%20Centre.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIn%2010%20years%2C%20it%20has%20reached%20a%20total%20of%20Dh524.4%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ECars%20topped%20the%20list%20of%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20re-exported%20to%20Japan%20in%202022%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh1.3%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EJewellery%20and%20ornaments%20amounted%20to%20Dh150%20million%20while%20precious%20metal%20scraps%20amounted%20to%20Dh105%20million.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERaw%20aluminium%20was%20ranked%20first%20among%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20exported%20to%20Japan.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETop%20of%20the%20list%20of%20commodities%20imported%20from%20Japan%20in%202022%20was%20cars%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh20.08%20billion.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
By Marion Rankine
Melville House
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association