During the Dubai Airshow, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Armed forces have announced their intention to sign a contract for the upgrade of their Mirage 2000-9 fleet.

Maj Gen Staff Pilot Ishaq Al Balushi said the Government intends to sign a deal with French firms Dassault Aviation and Thales to modernise the fleet.

On board the Mirage 2000-9, Thales supplies the complete electronic combat solutions to meet the pilot’s need for tactical information, enhanced survivability and operational effectiveness including: mission computer system, fire control radar, electronic warfare suite, optronics systems, communications navigation and identification, cockpit display systems, helmet mounted system display and electrical system.

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The UAE’s Mirage 2000-9s are equipped for the strike mission, with the Shehab laser targeting pod (a variant of the Damocles) and the Nahar navigation pod, complementing the air-to-ground modes of the RDY-2 radar. They are also equipped with a classified countermeasures system designated “IMEWS”, which is comparable to the ICMS 3.

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Emirati Mirage 2000s are armed with weapons such as the PGM 500 guided bomb and the “Black Shaheen” cruise missile, which is basically a variant of the MBDA Apache cruise missile. All 30 survivors of this first batch have been extensively refurbished and upgraded, bringing them to the same standard as Mirage 2000-9.