UAE adds Dash-8 Q300s for Maritime Patrol

CoastWatch Q200MP

IDEX 2009 grabbed headlines recently with multi-billion dollar deals for C-17 and C-130J transports. Those deals are likely to elevate the UAE’s position on the international stage, but interests closer to home also need tending. With the UAE’s trade hub of Dubai heavily dependent on shipping, and emirates like Abu Dhabi dependent on open waterways for oil exports, maritime patrol in the Arabian Gulf (aka. Persian Gulf) remains a priority.

Aerial surveillance is part of that mix, and an AED 1.071 billion (C$ 370M/ $290M) contract will add 2 specialized aircraft…

Canada Orders 750 Laser Dazzlers

Feel the force…

In a great victory for Power Point warriors everywhere, American troops discovered that same powerful but eye-safe green laser pointers used in their civilian jobs were much more effective than bright spotlights, when it came to stopping oncoming vehicles without the need for gunfire. That’s a very important consideration in counterinsurgency campaigns, where maintaining the support of the populace and acting as its protector forms the foundation of the American approach. America’s allies have a similar mindset, and increasingly a similar doctrine as well. Not to mention a similar penchant for military nomenclature.