The nations of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are attempting to build a strong defense partnership centered around firearms and ammunition production. While information is still forthcoming on the details of what and how this partnership will develop, Egypt seems to have made a commitment to local production of Emirati firearms. This is a continuation of Egypt’s desire to seek less reliance on the United States and a more diverse arsenal.
Fig.1.1. A Caracal CMP9 K with a telescoping stock. The CMP9 is the cornerstone of a potential deal between Egypt and the UAE (Source: Caracal)
From information shared on Twitter, WDS 2022 provided the Egyptians a chance to solidify a deal with the Emirati company Caracal in order to produce their CMP9 submachine gun under license. The CMP9 is a blow-back operated sub-gun with all the modern accessories that other competing AR9/MPX provide. The CMP9 comes in different configurations for varied applications in compact spaces. Caracal offers a base version (offered with a 9” barrel), “K” version (with a 5.5” barrel), and an integrally suppressed version (the suppressed version has a 6” barrel and 6” suppressor). All models are select-fire (safe/semi/automatic) and have handguards with KEY-MOD or MIL-1913 rail.
The UAE is quickly establishing itself as a hub for the arms trade within the Middle East, North Africa, and internationally. This partnership seems to be the logical conclusion of the UAE’s desire to grow their weapons industry, and Egypt’s growing distance between them and weapons contractors in the United States. Much of the information regarding this specific small arms partnership is still uncertain but given Egypt’s long history of licensed firearms productions (e.g., the Hakim and Maadi) a partnership with the UAE seems inevitable.
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