An important step in the two countries’ expanding defense cooperation is India’s recent offer to the United Arab Emirates of its indigenous Akash air defense missile system. This offer, which was made at high-level diplomatic meetings, marks a new phase in the strategic partnership between India and the United Arab Emirates and showcases India’s growing capabilities as a defense exporter.
With its demonstrated ability to fend off aerial threats, the Akash missile system is a tribute to India’s domestic defense manufacturing capabilities and has the potential to revolutionize the UAE’s air defense capabilities.
One of India’s most effective domestic defense innovations is the Akash missile system, which provides advanced air defense capabilities on par with those found abroad. The Akash system, a genuine “Made in India” defense product, was created by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and is produced by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). It is made in India to a degree of about 96%.
The system can successfully destroy a variety of aerial threats, such as fighter aircraft, helicopters, drones, cruise missiles, and even ballistic missiles, and it has a 25-kilometer interception range.
Akash’s multi-target engagement capability, which enables it to track and attack multiple targets at once, is among its most noteworthy features. The system is equipped with a powerful 60 kg warhead that can hit targets up to 30 kilometers away. The Akash’s adaptability to different tactical scenarios is further enhanced by its flexible deployment options, which allow it to be launched from both static and mobile platforms.
Integrated Electronic Counter-Counter Measures (ECCM) and mobile platform configuration are two of the missile system’s many features that improve its operational flexibility and battlefield survivability. Each launch station has three ready-to-fire missiles on a turntable that can traverse 360 degrees and have an elevation range of 8 to 75 degrees. The launcher units can be mounted on trucks or armored tracked chassis. Four 3D passive electronically scanned array radars and four launchers, each with three missiles, make up an Akash battery. These radars are connected to track up to 64 targets and engage up to 12 at once.
The Akash exhibits competitive capabilities in comparison to comparable systems, such as Israel’s SPYDER (Surface-to-air PYthon and DERby) missile. The Akash’s greater range provides strategic advantages for all-encompassing air defense coverage, whereas the SPYDER can destroy targets up to 15 kilometers away at elevations between 20 and 9,000 meters.
The Akash missile system’s current offer expands on the UAE’s earlier, multi-year-old expressions of interest. According to reports from 2018, the UAE had expressed a strong interest in acquiring the Akash surface-to-air missile system. The Akash missile system was a major topic of conversation during a high-level defense delegation visit headed by Mohammed Ahmed Al Bowardi Al Falacy, the UAE Minister of State for Defense Affairs.
This historical interest is especially significant because any possible purchase would be the first time India has exported a system of this kind to a Gulf nation. When India started modifying its defense export policy in 2018 to allow the export of strategic platforms to countries it views as allies, the UAE expressed interest.
The export of the domestically produced Akash missile system was formally authorized by the Indian government by December 2020. To expedite export approvals, a high-ranking committee consisting of the defense minister, external affairs minister, and national security advisor was established. Many foreign nations, including the Philippines, Vietnam, and the United Arab Emirates, have expressed interest in purchasing the system, according to sources in the defense and security establishment.
It is anticipated that the export version of the Akash system will be different from the one currently used by the Indian military, probably designed to satisfy particular needs of overseas clients while protecting delicate technological elements.
Beyond purely commercial interests, India’s recent formal offer of the Akash missile system to the UAE takes into account a number of strategic factors. The offer primarily signifies India’s determination to strengthen its defense alliance with the United Arab Emirates to the level of the strong collaboration already in place in the economic sphere. The goals of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan are reflected in both countries’ clear recognition of the need to increase defense cooperation in order to keep pace with advancements in other domains, such as trade and business.
This offer’s timing is strategically significant because it coincides with a shift in the Middle East’s geopolitical landscape. India’s strategic footprint in an area vital to trade routes and energy security is increased by fortifying defense ties with the United Arab Emirates. The offer is a concrete example of India’s “Look West” policy, which aims to expand ties with Middle Eastern countries beyond conventional trade alliances.
Furthermore, India establishes itself as a trustworthy defense partner with the ability to transfer substantial military technology by providing the UAE with an indigenous defense system. Western countries, on the other hand, frequently place stringent restrictions on military sales. India’s strategy places more emphasis on its readiness to participate in real technology partnerships than on straightforward buyer-seller exchanges.
Being the first Gulf country to purchase such a cutting-edge Indian missile system, the offer also has symbolic significance as it may pave the way for similar agreements with other nations in the area. This is in line with India’s overarching goal of becoming a reliable substitute supplier of cutting-edge defense technology in a market that has historically been controlled by suppliers from the US, Europe, Russia, and China.
The Akash missile offer fits into a larger plan to increase India-United Arab Emirates defense cooperation. Beginning with the 2003 Defense Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding and reinforced by the 2017 Defense Industry Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding, both countries have formalized procedures to support defense cooperation. The institutional foundation for the current developments in defense relations has been established by these agreements.
Recognizing that such programs would facilitate a deeper understanding of each other’s defense ecosystems and expedite the strengthening of bilateral defense ties, both nations identified training exchanges as a critical area of defense cooperation during recent high-level meetings. The technical facets of collaboration symbolized by systems such as the Akash missile are complemented by this emphasis on human resource development.
Additionally, the two countries have stated their satisfaction with the Coast Guard’s active cooperation with the Coast Guard and pledged to formalize this relationship through a specific Memorandum of Understanding. The Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean regions share concerns about terrorism, illegal trafficking, and piracy, which are addressed by this maritime security cooperation.
Most notably, the leadership of both nations has placed a strong emphasis on expanding cooperation within the defense sector and looking into joint venture possibilities in defense manufacturing. The India-UAE Defence Partnership Forum has been welcomed as having the potential to result in strategic joint ventures and co-production projects benefiting both countries. In line with larger national initiatives like “Make-in-India” and “Make-in-Emirates,” this industrial cooperation seeks to develop complementary manufacturing capabilities as opposed to competitive ones.
An important part of India’s larger defense export strategy, which has accelerated significantly in recent years, is the offer of the Akash missile system to the United Arab Emirates. As part of its drive for increased independence in defense production and to position itself as a reliable defense exporter on the international scene, India has set aggressive goals for defense exports.
With the export of BrahMos coastal batteries to the Philippines and the first foreign buyer of the Akash missile system, Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers, and 155mm artillery guns to Armenia, the government has already made significant progress in this area. These early export achievements show how India is becoming more capable of competing with advanced weaponry systems in the global defense market.
A number of enabling mechanisms have been put in place by the Indian government to expedite and facilitate defense exports. An important institutional change to expedite the process is the establishment of a high-ranking committee with the defense minister, external affairs minister, and national security advisor specifically for expedited export approvals. This committee has the authority to investigate all of the options for defense exports, including government-to-government channels, which are frequently beneficial for delicate defense agreements.
Defense systems like Akash’s export version are especially made to strike a balance between maintaining vital technologies and maintaining global competitiveness. India can increase its market reach while preserving its technological advantages by tailoring export variations while preserving core capabilities.
Additionally, India’s defense export policy supports its larger diplomatic and economic goals. Increasing defense exports boosts the nation’s manufacturing base, improves economies of scale for defense production, and generates high-skilled jobs. Defence exports improve India’s soft power, fortify strategic alliances, and establish the nation as a trustworthy security partner in areas of strategic importance.
The UAE’s possible purchase of the Akash missile system would have a big impact on both countries’ defense industries and the dynamics of regional security. By adding the Akash, the UAE would broaden its air defense capabilities, which are currently mostly dependent on Russian and Western systems. In addition to potentially providing cost advantages over Western alternatives, this diversification lessens the strategic vulnerabilities linked to reliance on a small number of suppliers.
From the standpoint of regional security, improved UAE air defense capabilities support stability in the Gulf, which faces a number of security issues, such as non-state actors’ missile threats. Maintaining regional military balance would be made possible by the Akash system’s capacity to neutralize several aerial threats at once, strengthening the UAE’s defensive posture without necessarily changing its offensive capabilities.
An export agreement of this size would be vital confirmation of India’s domestic development capabilities and manufacturing quality for the country’s defense industrial base. Such widespread adoption would probably encourage more funding for R&D while offering insightful input for system enhancements. Beyond the immediate transaction, there would be potential financial gains from maintenance agreements, improvements, and training initiatives.
Opportunities for cooperative research and development projects between the defense industries of the two nations may also arise from Akash’s establishment in the United Arab Emirates. This kind of cooperation could result in customized versions that are suited to the needs of the Gulf region or even brand-new systems that utilize complementary skills. This industrial collaboration may serve as a template for India’s defense alliances with other friendly countries.
Additionally, a successful Akash system deployment in the UAE could open up new markets for Indian defense exports by providing a strong demonstration effect for other prospective clients in the Middle East and beyond. The system’s operational performance in the Gulf region’s environmental conditions would yield useful information for future export variant improvements.
An important turning point in the two countries’ developing defense cooperation is India’s offer of the Akash missile system to the United Arab Emirates. The strategic, technological, and diplomatic aspects of this initiative go beyond simple business considerations and represent the UAE’s desire to broaden its defense alliances as well as India’s increasing confidence as a defense exporter.
For the UAE’s air defense needs, the Akash system’s technical capabilities—including its capacity to engage multiple aerial targets at once and its adaptable deployment options—offer a strong value proposition. In addition to providing international partners with access to advanced technology free from the political restrictions frequently associated with Western systems, the system’s indigenous development and high domestic content demonstrate India’s progress toward self-reliance in defense manufacturing.
A strong basis for long-term cooperation that goes beyond specific weaponry systems is provided by the defense cooperation framework being developed between India and the UAE, which includes training exchanges, Coast Guard cooperation, and industrial partnerships. Instead of focusing on transactional relationships, the emphasis on complementarity between “Make-in-India” and “Make-in-Emirates” initiatives suggests a forward-looking strategy that aims to develop mutually beneficial industrial capabilities.
The possible Akash agreement with the UAE may serve as a model for similar agreements with other nations as India continues to diversify its defense export portfolio, especially in areas where it wants to increase its strategic clout. The ability of both countries to successfully convert their stated intentions into tangible steps—from memorandums of understanding to operational capabilities and industrial partnerships—will ultimately determine the initiative’s success.
