ABU DHABI, 14 February 2005 — The United Arab Emirates announced a series of deals to equip its armed forces worth around $358 million yesterday, the first day of the Middle East’s largest military show which it is hosting. The two biggest contracts went to Germany’s Rohde and Schwarz Gmbh, which will upgrade the Emirati army’s communications system at a cost of 528 million dirhams ($144 million), and Italy’s Agusta SPA, which will modernize helicopters currently with the armed forces at a cost of 261 million dirhams ($71 million), UAE military procurement chief Brigadier Obaid Al-Ketbi told reporters on the sidelines of IDEX 2005.