RESARICTED
ANNEX A TODA/T/1/BDATED TO JANUARY 1984
ASSISTANCE FOR ELECTRONIC WARFARE TRAININGIN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES NAVAL FORCE
Background
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1. The UAE Navy ordered advanced Racal/Decca Cutlass ElectronicWarfare systems in 1977 for their German built Exocet-armed fastpatrol strike craft. These ships were delivered from 1980onwards. Subsequently similar electronic warfare equipment wasordered by Bahrain then Kuwait Navies. (Total order value todate approximately 417 million). Additions and improvementsare subsequently being considered by these pavies.
2. This equipment, (especially if augmented now with ELINTand Jamming (ECM) equipment) forms a significant backclothto Arao (GCC) Naval capability in the Gulf area, if usedcorrectly and maintained. The Gulf Navies, young as they are(none more than 17 years old), have made successful efforts toorder sensible ships and bring their officers and men to areasonaole standard of training given the short timescale. Theyare as yet untried in any extended or unpredictable maritimesituation.
3. From a British standpoint, regrettably the ships aremainly German and French built, but Abu Dhabi, Kuwait andBahrain all bave selected British electronic warfare systemsfor their naval forces. It is in the maintenance of and..training in the use these relatively complicated equipmentsthat one of their main problems lies.
FREE
4. Until their commanding Officers bave confidence in thesystems, they will not be used tactically. To date, theCompany (Racal-Decca) bas produced huge efforts, beyond itscontractual obligation, to assist in maintenance and training.However this requires a prolonged and consistent support, expensiveand consuming in manpower, which the UAE Navy is not particularlykeen to acknowledge overtly by further contract agreement.
Recommendation
5. If such a support could be provided 'free of charge', i.e.seemingly to support the existing contract, with a view to"obtaining more business" this would allay local susceptability,and at the same time extend the influence of a significantBritish tactical weapon system. Furthermore, any assistance tohelp the UAE Navy to build up its electronic warfare capability,bidrary and intelligence, would have a wide-rangiug influence inother directions, because it would be recognised that we were"helping them to defend themselves", in an area which isrelatively new.
6. Au instructor, provided by either the Company or MODUKfor a sustained period of 4-6 months, at an all in cost of,say, $74,000 per month would I am informed meet this requirement,and would, in my opinion, far outweigh its cost in a Gulfcontribution to the benefit of British interests in such animportant future field of Naval warfare.
A - 1
RESTRICTED
