The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is building a significant new defense industry center that will serve as a regional hub for the production and testing of the Coyote counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS).
In mid-May, the UAE's Tawazun Council inaugurated a 2,000-sq meter manufacturing hub at Tawazun Industrial Park, marking the first overseas assembly line for the system.
The production and testing facility in Abu Dhabi’s Tawazun Industrial Park marks an important step for the UAE as it works toward strengthening regional defense and technological self-reliance.
It marks a major milestone in the UAE's evolving defense strategy and partnership with the United States -- shifting from traditional arms imports to joint development of cutting-edge capabilities.
![International coalition forces fire a Coyote Block 2C interceptor during a base defense exercise at al-Tanf garrison, Syria, March 12. [US Army]](/ssc/images/2025/06/17/50807-Coyote-Block-2C-600_384.webp)
The localized Coyote line is a regional resource, establishing an opportunity for localized defense manufacturing in the UAE and shared security frameworks.
The facility also will bring together US and UAE advanced manufacturing. Skilled Emirati technicians will train alongside US specialists in aerospace processes, quality assurance and secure production.
The facility houses state‑of‑the‑art tooling for integration and precision testing, under a stringent supply‑chain and export control framework. This enhances production capacity and ensures alignment with US industrial standards.
Drone defense
As unmanned aerial threats grow more frequent and sophisticated, the Coyote C-UAS advanced interceptor system is at the forefront of modern air defense.
It reflects the UAE’s accelerated efforts to build a sustainable, self-reliant military-industrial base capable of addressing emerging aerial threats, particularly those posed by unmanned systems.
The growing accessibility and use of off-the-shelf and military UAS have made robust defenses -- including the Coyote C‑UAS, a compact interceptor designed to disable enemy drones -- essential.
Available in kinetic (destructive) and non‑kinetic (electronic warfare) variants, Coyote is tailored for both individual drones and dense swarms.
Small and expendable, Coyote kinetic and non-kinetic variants are able to defeat unmanned systems of various sizes at longer ranges and higher altitudes than similar class effectors.
