United Arab Emirates Army

The United Arab Emirates Army, officially designated the UAE Land Forces, is the ground warfare branch of the UAE Armed Forces. Headquartered at Zayed Military City in Abu Dhabi, command authority rests with the President of the United Arab Emirates as Commander-in-Chief, with operational management handled by the Ministry of Defence and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. Primary ground formations include mechanized infantry brigades, armored brigades, artillery units, and the Presidential Guard Command, which incorporates mechanized infantry, amphibious, and special operations units. Operational formations include the 5th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Command.

Ground force maneuver units operate Leclerc main battle tanks as their primary heavy armor platform. Infantry formations utilize BMP-3 tracked infantry fighting vehicles, Patria AMV 8x8 platforms, and locally assembled Al Jasoor Rabdan 8x8 infantry fighting vehicles fitted with BMP-3 turrets. Light tactical and protected mobility transport includes the Nimr family of 4x4 and 6x6 vehicles, Oshkosh M-ATVs, and Calidus Wahash 8x8 vehicles. Artillery units field G6 Rhino 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzers, M109 self-propelled howitzers, AH4 155mm ultralight howitzers, and L118 light guns. Rocket artillery assets consist of M142 HIMARS, South Korean K239 Chunmoo, and Chinese SR-5 multiple launch rocket systems. Air defense forces operate a multi-layered network comprising THAAD batteries, MIM-104 Patriot PAC-2 and PAC-3 batteries, KM-SAM Cheongung II systems, MIM-23 Hawk systems, and short-range Pantsir-S1 units. Aviation support is integrated through the UAE Joint Aviation Command, employing AH-64D/E Apache attack helicopters and CH-47F Chinook transport helicopters.

The army has engaged in foreign deployments, including UN operations in Somalia, NATO-led operations in Afghanistan, and ground combat during the Yemeni Civil War, where armored and mechanized units operated in Aden, Marib, and Hudaydah. Domestic defense production is centered under the state-owned EDGE Group, which manufactures tactical vehicles through NIMR and armored combat vehicles through Al Jasoor. In 2025, modernization programs advanced with the Leclerc Life Extension and Modernization contract signed with KNDS France and BMP-3 upgrading agreements between local entities and FNSS to overhaul vehicle electronics, mechanics, and armaments.