US to help UAE stop drone attacks, says top army commander

  DUBAI – The United States is working with the UAE to develop more effective ways to stop drone attacks even before they are launched, a top US army commander said. General Kenneth McKenzie, Commander of the US Central Command (Centcom) told Emirates News Agency (WAM) that a system is already in place. He said the UAE has employed the US-built Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system in combatting enemy drones, and that the US is working to improve this system further. “We would like to work against drones in what we call 'Left of Launch,' before they can be launched," McKenzie said during his visit to the UAE on Monday (February 7). “Such a system will be able to detect the launch of drones, see them and disrupt their flight,” he added. McKenzie’s visit comes after Yemen’s Houthi militants launched a series of civilian attacks against the UAE, the first of which targeted oil tankers in Abu Dhabi that killed three people and wounded six others in January. In that same month, the UAE announced that it intercepted and destroyed missiles aimed at the capital. On February 2, the UAE also destroyed three hostile drones that penetrated its airspace. While the attacks are worrying, McKenzie expressed confidence in the UAE army, saying the country “has one of the most professional militaries in the region”. “They're very well-led, and I think the UAE is a very safe and secure place," the US military commander said. Read full interview He added that the US will be bringing a squadron of F-22 fighter jets to work with the UAE to help defend the country against any attacks. ICA/Expat Media  
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