President Lee Jae-myung agreed to further strengthen defense cooperation with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during a summit on the 18th (local time), raising expectations that K-defense's penetration into the Middle Eastern market will gain momentum. The government anticipates that the demand for replacing outdated weapon systems in Middle Eastern countries, including the UAE, will open up a large-scale defense export market.

Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik stated in a briefing after the summit, “We have agreed to move beyond a simple export-purchase structure to pursue joint development, local production, and third-country joint exports from an industrial perspective, and to support the UAE's independent operational capability for Korean defense equipment.” He further emphasized, “This establishment of a complete value chain cooperation model will increase the likelihood of our defense companies securing contracts in defense export projects worth over USD 15 billion (approximately KRW 21 trillion).” Kang had visited the UAE earlier as the President's Special Envoy for Strategic Economic Cooperation.

It is reported that most of the ground and air weapon systems currently in operation in the UAE are outdated, making large-scale replacements inevitable. According to the government and the defense industry, approximately 390 tanks, 60 fighter jets, and 80 self-propelled guns in the UAE's weapon systems are estimated to be targets for replacement.

Particularly, the UAE is pursuing the acquisition of state-of-the-art fighter jets due to the obsolescence of French Mirage fighters and has shown continuous interest in purchasing the domestic supersonic fighter KF-21. In 2020, the UAE announced plans to acquire 50 units of the U.S. stealth fighter F-35, but withdrew the plan after the U.S. demanded the removal of Huawei equipment from UAE communication networks due to concerns over sensitive information leaks.

In April, high-ranking UAE officials and Air Force personnel visited the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) to sign a 'Letter of Intent (LOI) for Comprehensive Cooperation on KF-21,' which is more advanced than a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Additionally, the UAE Deputy Minister of Defense personally tested the KF-21 prototype at the Sacheon Air Force Base in South Gyeongsang Province in August.

The emphasis on strengthening defense cooperation through joint development and joint exports by the Presidential Office is interpreted as being aimed at the joint development of weapon systems such as the KF-21. With the KF-21 currently being evaluated as a 4.5-generation fighter, the UAE is considering participating in the development of the next block (upgraded model) of the KF-21. It is known that the UAE desires to produce the upgraded KF-21 in a UAE-specific configuration locally. Consequently, discussions on jointly developing a 5th-generation KF-21 with stealth capabilities and jointly exporting it could progress between the two countries.

Regarding the absence of a defense-related MOU among the seven MOUs signed during the summit, Chief of Staff Kang explained, “President Mohammed requested more cooperation on defense from President Lee,” and added, “It was not included as it requires time to be specified in an MOU.” He also emphasized, “While we mentioned over USD 15 billion, President Mohammed made an even larger proposal.”

The Presidential Office expects that strengthening defense cooperation between the two countries will positively impact K-defense exports to other regions. Chief of Staff Kang also stressed that based on future defense cooperation with the UAE, “a bridgehead will be established to secure markets in the Middle East, Africa, as well as Europe and North America.”

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