Leaked Elbit Files Expose Scale of Israeli Arms Dealings With Abu Dhabi
Haaretz documents detail Emirati requests for surveillance drones, interception systems, electronic warfare kit and bunker-busting munitions
A leaked-document investigation by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz has revealed the extent of negotiations and proposed deals between Israeli defence companies and the United Arab Emirates, covering advanced unmanned aircraft, intelligence-gathering systems, electronic warfare capabilities, and precision weapons.
The investigation draws on internal documents leaked from Elbit Systems alongside human sources, open-source material, and earlier reporting. What the papers reveal, according to the analysis, matters less for the number of aircraft or the value of the contracts than for the type of capability Abu Dhabi sought — an attempt to build an integrated aerial intelligence and surveillance architecture.
An ‘urgent operational request’
In March 2022, the UAE submitted what it called an urgent operational request to Elbit for drones capable of detecting ballistic missile launches and drone activity beyond Emirati borders, rather than conducting domestic surveillance alone.
The initial proposal covered six Hermes 900 aircraft split between two intelligence-gathering systems, priced at around $180 million. But the aircraft were only one element of a far broader package: six electro-optical payloads for day and night vision, three SkyEye WAPS wide-area surveillance systems, three cellular communications interception systems, three electronic warfare systems, three LightSpear systems to protect aircraft against jamming, and two ground control stations.
According to Haaretz, the WAPS system uses ten electro-optical cameras to capture wide areas in high resolution in real time, and supports what the documents describe as intelligence forensic analysis — allowing operators to return to recorded footage and trace a person, vehicle or object back to its point of origin, or reconstruct events after the fact.
Abu Dhabi’s interest did not stop at six aircraft. The documents show it explored expanding to 15 systems comprising 45 Hermes 900 drones, worth around $1.3 billion, though the investigation could not confirm whether that larger agreement was concluded.
Intelligence aircraft and bunker-busters
The files also reveal a separate classified Emirati request for four Elbit-produced intelligence aircraft, manned or purpose-built for intelligence missions, with capabilities spanning electronic signal collection, communications interception, cyber operations, electronic warfare, and optical intelligence. That request, Haaretz notes, points to an effort to build a comprehensive national capability for aerial intelligence and electronic reconnaissance rather than a straightforward aircraft purchase. Whether the deal went ahead is not established by the documents.
Israel’s war ministry approved the sale of Hermes 900 surveillance drones to the UAE in 2021 without offensive capabilities, alongside Skystriker loitering munitions with a range of up to 60 kilometres. The sale of MPR-2000 bombs — one-tonne munitions designed to penetrate shelters and fortified facilities — was also discussed. One offer, under the codename “Jasmine 3,” proposed producing 6,000 kits within three months; the investigation could not establish their exact nature, but notes that Elbit manufactures conversion kits that turn unguided bombs into GPS- or laser-guided precision weapons.
The documents further show an early Emirati approach to buy the Hermes 650, Elbit’s newest drone, nearly a year before it was publicly unveiled at the Singapore Airshow. That proposal envisaged integrating the aircraft with Starling loitering munitions and Orbiter reconnaissance and attack drones, together with local production of components and engines inside the UAE — consistent with Abu Dhabi’s wider push to build an independent national defence industry.
The Abraham Accords dividend
The investigation situates these dealings within the opening created by the Abraham Accords, after which Elbit Systems, Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries and other firms opened offices and launched joint ventures with Emirati companies.
Israeli arms exports reached a record $19 billion in 2025, Haaretz reported, including some $3 billion to states that signed the accords. Cumulative sales to those countries since 2021 stand at around $9 billion, most of it to Morocco and the UAE. The documents also indicate the UAE had previously deployed Israeli Barak air defence systems around Al Dhafra Air Base and purchased Spyder systems from Rafael.
The leak itself has raised internal information-security concerns at Elbit, with the investigation reporting that the documents most likely came from a senior official’s personal Gmail account used for company business.
Reference: Al-Mayadeen