UAE looks into buying German jet fighters

President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan al-Nahyan on Thursday held talks in Abu Dhabi with German Defense Minister Volker Rueh, currently visiting the UAE to promote military cooperation between the two countries to discuss regional issues and developments in the Gulf area.

In statements following his meeting with Sheikh Zayed and other talks with the UAE army's chief of staff, Sheikh Muhammad Bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the German minister said discussions dealt with military cooperation between the UAE and Germany. He expected the UAE to take a decision to purchase 80 jet fighters at a cost of US $6 billion during the current year but he gave no definite date for such a decision.

He added the jet fighters are of Eurofighter type , manufactured by a consortium including the German company Daimler-Benz Aerospace. Eurofighters are also jointly manufactured by British Aerospace Defense, the Spanish Construcciones Aeronauticas and the Italian Alenia company.

An official from the UAE army has denied reports that his country has decided to purchase US-made F-16 warplanes.