Well-informed sources confirmed to us that Lt. Gen. Mutlaq bin Salem Al-Azima, commander of the Coalition Joint Forces, accused the UAE in a private meeting of deceiving Saudi Arabia in the Yemen war.
The sources pointed out that the UAE was able over the past years to implement its goals, the most important of which is controlling the geostrategic advantages of the southern and western parts of Yemen.
At the start of the Yemen war, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) stated that the Sanaa invasion would take only a few days and would be led only by the Saudi forces.
However, the Saudi military, which has the best military equipment money can buy, has had a hard task in Yemen.
In 2021, 20 Saudi drones were shot down by Yemeni air defenses, including:
– 11 US-made Scan Eagle aircraft, each costs US$3 million
– US-made MQ-9 Reaper, each costs US$11 million
– 4 Chinese-made UAV CH4, each costs US$1 million
– 2 Chinese-made LNG LOoNG aircraft, each costs US$1 million
The sources further pointed out that an interceptor missile for the Patriot system costs approximately $3 million per round, and the launchers cost about $21 million each.
The monthly cost of the aircraft participating in Yemen war is estimated at $230 million, i.e. more than $8 billion in three years, while Boeing E-3A Airborne Warning & Control System (AWACS) aircraft costs $250,000 per hour, i.e. more than $1 billion annually.
Two satellites for military purposes costed $1.8 billion in the first six months of the war. Earth-observing satellite constellation cost up to $10 million per day, or $300 million per month. The use of two warships, followed by 6 accompanying frigates, costs Saudi Arabia $300 million per day.
Since the start of the Yemen war, Saudi Arabia’s military spending increased to reach an estimated $63 billion, placing it third in the world.
Saudi Arabia has spent a fortune buying arms from America to prosecute a war that has killed almost a quarter of a million people — the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe in our lifetime. However, no real achievement was reported, as Saudi Arabia failed to stop Houthi attacks on the Kingdom.
