US Approves $7 Billion Arms Package for UAE Including Patriot Missile Defense Systems and Chinook Helicopters Amid Rising Middle East Tensions
The United States has recently approved a major arms package worth about $7 billion for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), bringing renewed attention to Washington’s growing military cooperation with its Gulf allies. This package includes advanced Patriot PAC-3 missile defense systems along with CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters, and it is not an entirely new deal but rather an extension and expansion of previously agreed military arrangements between the two countries. This development came to light between March 19 and March 20, 2026, with one of the key reports published in the early hours of March 20 at around 12:03 AM UTC. Although such large-scale arms approvals are often publicly announced, this particular package did not follow the usual pattern. Instead, it moved forward under specific provisions that allow certain defense deals—especially those building on earlier agreements—to proceed without formal public disclosure by the U.S. State Department. At the center ...