Diehl, Al Jaber Establish JV to Pursue Military Vehicle Upgrades in the UAE

February 23, 2011 by Tamir Eshel DEFENSE UPDATE

Al Jaber Group of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the German company Diehl Defence have signed a joint venture for the modernization and upgrade of the Emirates’ military land vehicles. As part of this cooperation Diehl will supply components and upgrade kits including propulsion packs, suspension and tracks and assume system responsibility for vehicle upgrading to be performed by UAE personnel at Al Jaber Group facilities. The German company will also transfer relevant know-how and will outsource significant work to local industry in the UAE. Diehl Defence has already established relationships with UAE Armed Forces through the modernization and continuous support of self-propelled howitzer M109. Furthermore, Diehl Defence has been supplying tracks and road wheels to the UAE Armed Forces for the MBT Leclerc as well as tracks for the SP howitzer M109 and the APC M113.