Official government arms export data for the second quarter of 2025 reveals that:
- The UK government licensed a total of £1,839m in Single Individual Export Licenses.(SIELs) for military equipment exports worldwide from April to June 2025.
- The third largest recipient of arms export licenses was the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with £172m of military equipment. Of particular concern is the £1,966,582 of exports in the military vehicles and components category, given that UK-made engines have been found in armoured personnel carriers used by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in its genocide in Sudan.
- This figure follows a similar surge in export licenses to the UAE in quarter 4 of 2024, when £182 million worth of military equipment was licenced.
- Despite the government knowing that the UAE is diverting military equipment to the RSF, it has increased arms sales instead of ending them. It is also courting even more sales through extending an official government invitation to the UAE to the DSEI arms fair in September, which was accepted.
- The UK also licensed £6.1m worth of military equipment to Israel. This included £126,639 in components for artillery ammunition and £4,200 in components for military combat vehicles. Neither of these licences appear compatible with the government’s supposed ban on any military equipment – other than the F-35 components that continue to be supplied – that Israel could use in its genocide in Gaza.
- Successive governments have claimed that the UK’s arms export licensing system is one of the most robust in the world. These figures show this couldn’t be further from the truth with a clear risk that UK military equipment is being used in multiple genocides.
Emily Apple, CAAT’s Media Coordinator said:
These new figures are horrific. UK arms exports are out of control. Despite clear evidence that UK military equipment is used to commit the most appalling war crimes in Gaza and Sudan, this government is refusing to take action.
Our government knows that the UAE is diverting military equipment to the RSF for its war crimes.. It knows that Israel is using UK military equipment in its genocide in Gaza. It knows it is breaching international law. This is an export system that lacks accountability, designed to safeguard the profits of arms dealers, no matter the cost.
See our statement and recent blog post on Sudan and the role of the UAE.
