The volume of international deliveries of major arms was flat over the past five years, ending more than a decade of growth, according to new data.
The volume of international transfers of major arms in 2016-20 was 0.5 per cent lower than in 2011-15, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) said in a new report. This is the first time since 2001-2005 that the volume of arms transfers between nations did not increase on the previous five-year period, the data showed.
Middle East nations accounted for the biggest rise in arms deliveries.
Arms imports by states in the Middle East were 25 per cent higher in 2016-20 than in 2011-15. Four of the top 10 arms-importing countries in 2016-20 are in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and the UAE.
The US accounted for 52 per cent of arms exports to states in the region, while Russia supplied 13 per cent and France 12 per cent, the report showed.
Globally, the "five largest arms importers were Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt, Australia and China", Sipri said in its Trends in International Arms Transfers report. These nations collectively received 36 per cent of total arms imports in 2016-2020.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest arms importer in 2016-2020, received 11 per cent of global arms imports, Sipri said. The US provided 79 per cent of the kingdom's arms imports during the period, followed by the UK with 9.3 per cent and France with 4 per cent.
The kingdom increased its arms imports during the five-year period by 61 per cent, the data showed.
The UAE has been among the world’s top 10 arms importers since 2001-2005 but its imports in the 2016-20 period were 37 per cent lower than in 2011-15, the report said.
"Outstanding deliveries at the end of 2020 – including for 2 frigates from France as well as air defence systems and 38 combat helicopters from the USA – indicate that the UAE’s arms imports will continue to be at a high level in the coming years," the report said.
The UAE recently signed an agreement with the US to buy 50 F-35 jets and up to 18 armed drones as part of a $23 billion deal.
"If deliveries of these aircraft are implemented as planned, the UAE’s arms imports will increase in the second half of the 2020s," the authors said.
The world's five largest arms exporters in 2016-20 were the US, Russia, France, Germany and China, accounting for 76 per cent of all arms exports, Sipri said. The US, France and Germany increased their arms exports during the period, while Russia and China saw their exports drop.
At the regional level, Asia and Oceania accounted for 42 per cent of arms imports in 2016-20, followed by the Middle East with 33 per cent, Europe with12 per cent, Africa at 7.3 per cent and the Americas at 5.4 per cent, the report showed.
Sipri presents arms transfer data for five-year periods to give a more stable measure of trends given the significant year-on-year fluctuations in international transfers, the research agency said.
The value of global arms transfers last year was exceptionally low – 16 per cent lower than in 2019 and 20 per cent below the annual average for the previous nine years, it said.
This may partly be due to the Covid-19 pandemic – which disrupted some arms companies’ planned production and delivery schedules – and the related economic crisis, Sipri said.
The drop in arms transfers in 2020 was also due to other factors including national procurement cycles, gaps in deliveries during shifting relations between suppliers and buyers, and economic conditions unrelated to the pandemic, it added.
Sipri said the uncertainty about whether the pandemic was a major cause for the fall in arms transfers in 2020 is underscored by the fact that several states actually had higher levels of arms deliveries in 2020 than in prior years.
Profile of Tarabut Gateway
Founder: Abdulla Almoayed
Based: UAE
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 35
Sector: FinTech
Raised: $13 million
Backers: Berlin-based venture capital company Target Global, Kingsway, CE Ventures, Entrée Capital, Zamil Investment Group, Global Ventures, Almoayed Technologies and Mad’a Investment.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
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Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
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Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
SPECS
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sunday:
GP3 race: 12:10pm
Formula 2 race: 1:35pm
Formula 1 race: 5:10pm
Performance: Guns N' Roses
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Brief scoreline:
Toss: South Africa, elected to bowl first
England (311-8): Stokes 89, Morgan 57, Roy 54, Root 51; Ngidi 3-66
South Africa (207): De Kock 68, Van der Dussen 50; Archer 3-27, Stokes 2-12
