TEL AVIV — Leaked internal documents from Israeli defense company Elbit Systems indicate the company held advanced discussions with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the possible sale of drones, loitering munitions, and intelligence systems valued at up to approximately $1.3 billion, according to documents published by hacker group Handala and reports by multiple media outlets.
The documents, which cover the period from late 2021 to early 2023, include internal correspondence, pricing proposals, sales presentations, and requests from the UAE related to advanced surveillance and intelligence capabilities. However, the leaked material does not confirm whether the specific transactions described were ultimately completed.
The documents were published by the pro-Iran hacker group Handala, which claimed it obtained the files after compromising the private Gmail account of an Elbit Systems official who allegedly used the account for internal business communications. The contents were first reported by Drop Site News and later covered by Haaretz, The Times of Israel, and other media outlets.
Hermes 900 and SkyStriker proposals
According to a 2021 internal Elbit memo cited in the reports, Israel's Defense Ministry approved the company to offer the Hermes 900 surveillance drone and SkyStriker short-range loitering munitions to the UAE.
The Hermes 900 is one of Elbit's advanced unmanned aerial systems, designed to provide high-resolution, multi-angle surveillance imagery that operators can review in real time.
The leaked correspondence shows that in March 2022, approximately two months after Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched attacks on an airport and oil facilities in Abu Dhabi, the UAE submitted an urgent request for six Hermes 900 systems, with each system consisting of three aircraft.
Elbit proposed a price of $40 million per system. According to the leaked documents, the UAE later expressed interest in increasing the planned purchase to 15 systems, bringing the potential value of the proposed deal to about $1.3 billion.
Separate documents cited by Drop Site News describe an April 2022 proposal from Elbit's UAE subsidiary covering two Hermes 900 systems—a total of six aircraft—along with SkEye wide-area surveillance sensors, ground control stations, training, logistics support, and related equipment.
That package was valued at approximately $154 million, while additional upgrades increased the proposed value to around $225 million. Internal notes described the requirement as urgent and stated the systems were intended to improve detection of missile and drone launches beyond UAE borders while also supporting domestic security missions.
Hermes 650 and intelligence capabilities
The leaked archive also shows Elbit presenting its Hermes 650 unmanned aircraft to the UAE in March 2023, about one year before the drone was publicly unveiled at a defense exhibition in Singapore.
According to the presentation, the Hermes 650 includes signal intelligence (SIGINT) and electronic warfare capabilities. The sales material also stated that the platform can operate alongside Elbit's SkyStriker loitering munitions and attack drones produced by Aeronautics, another Israeli defense company.
The documents further include an undated confidential Emirati "airborne SIGINT wish list", requesting four Elbit surveillance aircraft together with cyber, electronic warfare, and related intelligence capabilities to be delivered within 42 months of reaching an agreement.
Growing Israel-UAE defense cooperation
Elbit Systems established an office in the UAE after Israel and the UAE normalized diplomatic relations under the 2020 Abraham Accords, which opened the way for expanded defense and commercial cooperation between the two countries.
The company has publicly confirmed only one defense contract with the UAE—a $53 million agreement announced in January 2022 to supply defense systems for Emirati aerial refueling aircraft.
In November 2025, Elbit announced a separate $2.3 billion contract to provide unspecified "strategic equipment" to an unnamed international customer. French publication Intelligence Online, later cited by Globes and other media outlets, reported that the customer was the UAE. The reported contract was described as covering electronic defense systems for aircraft, with deliveries planned over an eight-year period.
Company response
Elbit Systems declined to comment on the reported negotiations.
In a statement quoted by Haaretz, the company said it "does not comment on business matters relating to its customers" and added that "the materials presented do not accurately reflect the company's business activities."
The UAE Ministry of Defense has not publicly commented on the reports.
Regional security context
Defense cooperation between Israel and the UAE has continued to expand amid regional security challenges.
During the conflict involving Iran that began on February 28, Israel deployed Iron Dome air defense systems and operating personnel to the UAE. According to contemporaneous reports, the deployment was authorized by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following discussions with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The deployment marked the first reported operational use of the Iron Dome system outside Israel or the United States. The systems intercepted Iranian missiles launched toward the UAE during the conflict. Iron Dome is produced by Rafael, the parent company of Aeronautics.
The leaked documents, however, do not include signed contracts, delivery records, or other evidence confirming that the proposed Hermes drone sales discussed between 2021 and 2023 were finalized. Publicly confirmed records remain limited to Elbit's 2022 aircraft protection contract with the UAE and the separate $2.3 billion strategic equipment contract announced in 2025, which has been widely reported to involve the UAE but has not been officially identified by Elbit.
Source : timesofisrael
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