UAE, US, French air power at al-Dhafra base deters aggression in Gulf region

The recent deployment of the US Air Force (USAF) A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft to al-Dhafra air base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) underscores the strong partnership among the UAE, the United States and France and their continued co-operation to achieve security and stability in the region.

On March 31, the USAF deployed the first A-10s to al-Dhafra air base several weeks ahead of schedule following a series of attacks on US forces in Syria attributed to Iran-affiliated militias.

The deployment will support the international fight against the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS), the Pentagon said.

The arrival of the A-10 at al-Dhafra "will enhance our ability to deliver airpower and defend the region", said USAF 380th Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW) Commander Brig. Gen. David R. Lopez.

It also will provide "additional opportunities to partner with our Emirati hosts", he said.

Al-Dhafra air base, which is situated approximately 32km south of Abu Dhabi and is operated by the UAE air force, hosts the USAF 380th Air AEW, one of the most diverse combat wings in the Air Force.

The 380th AEW's mission is to provide high-altitude all-weather intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, airborne command and control and aerial refuelling for military operations against ISIS (Operation Inherent Resolve) and previously, NATO-led operations in Afghanistan (Operation Resolute Support).

The wing maintains unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in order to provide combat air power, in joint and combined aerospace operations with US Army, Marine Corps, Navy and coalition forces, according to the USAF.

It is equipped with MQ-9 Reaper UAVs, which are designed to find, fix, track, target, engage and assess critical emerging threats, both moving and stationary.

MQ-9 units can also conduct aerial intelligence gathering.

The AEW is known to have operated the F-15C Eagle, F-15E Strike Eagle, F-22A Raptor, KC-10A Extender, E-3 Sentry (AWACS), U-2S Dragon Lady and EQ-4 and RQ-4 Global Hawk.

International co-operation

Al-Dhafra has long been a centre for co-operation for US, French and UAE forces.

The UAE has hosted the US military at the base since 2002. Approximately 2,000 US service members and personnel are stationed there.

The first USAF F-35 Lightning II deployed to the Middle East arrived at al-Dhafra air base in April 2019.

The base also hosts the UAE air force Fighter Wing, comprising the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Shaheen squadrons equipped with the Lockheed Martin F-16E/F Desert Falcon.

The UAE air force has a total of 80 F-16E/F (otherwise known as F-16 Block 60) aircraft, which can fire AIM-120 AMRAAM, AGM-84 Harpoon, AGM-88 HARM and laser-guided bombs.

The northwest corner of Al-Dhafra air base is also home to the French air force's 71st and 76th fighter squadrons, which operate Dassault Mirage 2000s.

The Mirage 2000 is a multirole, single-engine, fourth-generation fighter jet. It is equipped to carry a range of air-to-surface missiles and weapons, including laser-guided bombs.

France has long conducted operations from the air base, which offers refuelling and surface-to-air capacities.

It has also helped the UAE with aerial surveillance by using Rafale fighter jets stationed at France's air base in Abu Dhabi.

The UAE has signed successive defence agreements with France since the 1990s, notably a 2008 accord that granted France its first permanent military base in the Gulf at al-Dhafra military airport.

French troops in the UAE number about 650, according to the French Armed Forces Ministry.

Strengthening partnerships

The USAF has continued to strengthen its partnerships and capabilities at al-Dhafra air base.

US airmen and soldiers at the air base earlier in March mobilised to geographically separate locations as part of an Agile Combat Employment (ACE) exercise, dubbed Operation Agile Spartan.

ACE refers to an operational concept in which the USAF rapidly deploys to an area and conducts dispersed, sustained operations using networks of well-established and austere air bases, pre-positioned equipment and airlift.

Over the course of the exercise, the teams launched and recovered MQ-9 Reapers nine times at three different simulated cluster locations after successfully moving 36 tonnes of equipment to the austere locations and establishing necessary operating support functions.

"Our goal was to lay a foundation that is repeatable, sustainable and predictable for ADAB [al-Dhafra air base] to produce airpower," said Sgt. John Whitfield, 380th AEW Air Staff operations maintenance superintendent, according to a US military statement in March.

Co-operation between the US and Emirati forces was also seen in action in January 2022 when they intercepted two ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis towards the base.

US forces "engaged two inbound missile threats with multiple Patriot interceptors coincident to efforts by the armed forces of the UAE", US Central Command (CENTCOM) said at the time.

"The combined efforts successfully prevented both missiles from impacting the base," CENTCOM said.

In response to this and a volley of other attacks throughout January that threatened US and Emirati forces, a squadron of US Air Force F-22 Raptors was deployed to al-Dhafra "as part of a multifaceted demonstration of US support", the USAF said.

The United States also sent the guided missile destroyer USS Cole to Abu Dhabi to partner with the UAE navy, it said.

US co-operation is key in light of Iran's attempt to re-draw the map of the region to further its own agenda.