The United States in October approved the sale of long-range guided rocket munitions to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the latest sign of cooperation between the two long-standing partners.

The US State Department on October 11 approved a potential military sale for Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) M31A1 Unitary Pods and Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) M57 Unitary Missiles, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement.

The proposed sale covers 259 GMLRS pods with 1,554 missiles at six missiles per pod and 203 ATACMS missiles.

The deal also includes training, software development, and engineering and logistical support services.

"The United Arab Emirates has been, and continues to be, a vital US partner for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East," the DSCA said.

"This sale will contribute to the United Arab Emirates' military goals of updating capability while further enhancing interoperability with the United States and other partners," it added.

Both the ATACMS and GMLRS can be launched from the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) platforms.

GMLRS munitions can destroy targets up to 70km away. Meanwhile, ATACMS has a range of up to 350km.

Decades of co-operation

The UAE is one of the United States' key military partners in the Middle East. The two countries have had close ties and cooperation for the past five decades.

The UAE hosts US military personnel at its military facilities including at Jebel Ali port, al-Dhafra air base and naval facilities at Fujairah, according to Congressional Research Service report published in July.

The UAE has also long purchased US military equipment. As of July, it appeared to be moving forward with buying a variant of the MQ-9 Reaper.

Other notable purchases have included an AN/TPQ-50 Radar and related equipment costing an estimated $85 million last December and C-17 sustainment and related equipment costing an estimated $980.4 million in July 2022.

The two nations also regularly take part in joint exercises.

Most recently, the US Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard joined the UAE naval defense force for exercise Iron Defender 24 from October 14-24.

The combined exercise, which took place in the UAE's territorial and coastal waters, was designed "to broaden levels of cooperation, support long term regional security, and enhance interoperability," the US Navy said in a statement.

The maritime drills included scenarios such as visit, board, search and seizure, unmanned system integration, harbor defense, diving, medical training, and training at sea.