ABU DHABI, Feb. 17 -- The United Arab Emirates on Sunday signed deals worth 4.9 billion dirhams (1.35 billion U.S. dollars) during the first day of the global defense exhibitions held in the capital Abu Dhabi, a spokesman for the event said.
"The concluded contracts comprised 15 global companies and 18 local ones," Mohammed Al Hassani said in a press conference, according to the state-run news agency WAM.
He said contracts with international companies hit 1.05 billion dollars while contracts with local ones reached 300.8 million dollars.
The agreements included a contract with U.S. Raytheon to purchase Patriot missiles for the air defense forces and another with Russia's JSC Rosoboronexport to purchase Pantsir-ME shipborne air-defense system.
The five-day International Defense Exhibition and Conference, and the Naval Defense and Maritime Security Exhibition were inaugurated earlier on Sunday at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center.