The procurement is being handled through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales process, with the UAE as the final recipient. The contracting announcement did not disclose how many launchers are included in the order.
The new equipment will expand the UAE’s existing Terminal High Altitude Area Defense capability. No additional technical details about the C3 launcher configuration were provided.
The UAE was the first international customer for the THAAD missile defense system. Under an earlier government-to-government Letter of Offer and Acceptance, the country ordered two AN/TPY-2 radars and nine launchers.
The Emirati THAAD system was first used in combat in January 2022 during a Houthi missile attack on oil facilities in the country. The system was employed to help defend the UAE against the incoming missile threat.
The UAE also used THAAD extensively in 2026 to defend against attacks from Iran. The latest $211 million procurement will add new launcher capacity to the country’s existing ballistic missile defense network through the U.S. FMS framework.
