Facts on UAE Armed Forces
The UAE armed forces, which U.S. officials say launched air strikes against Islamists in Libya, has 51,000 members, including 4,500 in the air force, the International Institute for Strategic Studies says.
The army has 44,000 personnel and the navy 2,500, the IISS says in its publication The Military Balance 2014.
They became an integrated military force in 1976, five years after the United Arab Emirates federation was created.
Although relatively few in number, the UAE's armed forces "maintain an extensive array of high quality equipment", the IISS notes.
Like many oil-rich neighbors, the Emirates have spent heavily on advanced weaponry, in particular on air defense with U.S.-made Patriot missiles and a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) command and control system.
The IISS credits the air force with 201 "combat capable aircraft", including 138 jets, essentially versions of the U.S. F16 and French Mirage 2000.
The air force has "seen significant investment, with discussions over a potential order of 25 more F16 Block 60s beginning in 2013, and a separate competition to replace the UAE's current Mirage 2000 fleet", it adds.
France has maintained close ties in the defense sector and hopes the UAE will agree to buy the latest-generation of Rafale jets.
In June, the country imposed obligatory military service for the first time for men between the age of 18 and 30, while maintaining it as an option for women.
Foreigners currently account for more than 80 percent of the UAE population, which the CIA Factbook puts at 5.6 million.
In 2011, UAE pilots flew sorties as part of an international coalition in Libya that led to the fall of Moammar Gadhafi's regime.
Abu Dhabi contributed six F16s and six Mirages to that effort.
Source: Agence France Presse
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