When pictures of Mariam Al Mansouri – the first female fighter pilot in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – traveled around the world in September, it symbolized the changing role of women in the Arab world and the collective fight against the Islamic state. But it also captured a new military phenomenon: after decades of strategic irrelevance, Arab air power is on the rise.
In 2014, as Syria, Egypt, and Libya face strategic challenges for which their traditionally large air forces appear to be ill-suited, Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar have significantly expanded their aerial capabilities, largely as a means of balancing against Iran.
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