The United Arab Emirates on Sunday it had awarded Rosoboronexport a $12 million contract for the upgrade of Pantsir-S1 missile systems, UAE Brigadier General Mohammed Hassaini said during the first day of IDEX 2019 exhibition.

Mohammed Hassaini said that UAE Armed Forces awarded Dh4.97 billion in contracts on the first day of the IDEX 2019, included a deal for Pantsyr-S1 systems upgrade.

What’s more, CEO of Russian arms trader Rosoboronexport CEO Alexander Mikheyev also confirmed that the UAE signed a new contract for Russia’s Pantsir-S1 missile system.

“The Emirates is successfully operating the Pantsir-S1 missile system, and we received a request on a further modernization program. The work experience of Russian systems, including this system, has shown its high effectiveness,” Mikheyev said.

According to open source data, the UAE’s army has 50 Pantsyr-S1 systems in service mounted on Man SX45 vehicles.

The Rosoboronexport’s website said the Pantsyr-S1 is a self-propelled, medium-range surface-to-air missile system designed to provide point air defense of military/industrial/administrative installations against aircraft, helicopters, precision munitions, cruise missiles, and UAVs.

This weapon system has been designed to engage up to 10 targets per minute which is paramount to counter saturation attacks employing UAVs or small cruise missiles.

In addition to airborne targets, the Pantsir weapon system can deal with both ground and sea based threats such as crafts, manpower and armored vehicles.

According to the Russian press, the Pantsir-S1 was qualified and delivered to the Russian anti-missile defense in late 2004 and was thereafter sold to Syria and Iraq.

Meanwhile, earlier this year, the Israeli military released video showing the several Russian-made Pantsir-S1 (SA-22 according to the NATO designation) missile defense systems took a direct hit during an Israeli airstrike in Syria.