Despite the hoo-haa from the US on the use of arms against Israel, the UAE government is continuing with its pledge to improve the Lebanese Army’s capabilities (albeit hand-me-downs) and are not worried who the weapons are used against:
Last week, the UAE military shipped three IAR-330 Puma transport helicopters to Lebanon. The aircraft represent the second instalment of 10 helicopters the UAE pledged to the Lebanese armed forces after a visit by the president, Michel Suleiman, last year. Three more are still to be delivered. “This sends a message to all countries that the Lebanese army needs to be supported with modern equipment,” said Mr [Ali] al Matroushi [a member of Federal National Council’s defence committee], particularly as the country is “on the front lines” with Israel.
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The UAE has also donated several Gazelle utility helicopters. A plan to supply Lebanon with British Hawk trainer jets has not yet come to fruition.
As I mentioned earlier, the UAE Armed Forces use more advanced military equipment such as Black Hawks and Apaches and while they’ve sent Lebanon a few Pumas built in the 1970s, the remaining Pumas they have are being upgraded. According to experts interviewed in The National article, the weapons may be outdated but are nevertheless essential to the country:
The helicopters are likely to be put to use by Lebanon as small troop carriers or resupplying “things like ammunition for the guys based down south”, Mr [Paul] Burke [a former military intelligence officer based in Abu Dhabi] said. They can also be configured for use in medical evacuations or border patrols, he added.
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“[The Lebanese Armed Forces] are, in general, rather badly equipped,” said Pieter Wezeman, a Middle East expert at Sipri, an arms-control think tank. Among its aircraft are older American helicopters, some of which have been armed with machineguns or even used to drop free-fall bombs. Mr Wezeman said the 10 Pumas would be a “substantial addition to the Lebanese armed forces, increasing their mobility substantially”, and could be weaponised if needed.
AFP: Lebanese and Emirati Airforce personnel at Beirut Airport stand beside a helicopter, donated by the UAE to the Lebanese army.
There’s a fair chance that the UAE isn’t allowed to pass on top of the line American hardware to anyone.
Restrictions on how long the purchaser must keep the equipment are quite commonplace.
The US likes, understandably, to keep its best toys in “responsible” hands.
That’s most likely the case. No matter what we receive, its still no match against Israel. They are developing a missile defense system while we receive firefighting helicopters and bullets.