Yemen officials proudly confirmed on Monday it received its first two US reconnaissance airplane, in keeping with Sana'a-Washington anti-terror aid support package.
A staunch ally of the US in fighting al Qaeda, Yemen President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi convinced officials in Washington earlier this year to increase their direct military support by providing the impoverished nation with the means to defend its territories against Islamic extremists and monitor their activities through the use of state of the art technology.
Back in August President Hadi announced that he was working toward addressing the issue of Yemen's territorial sovereignty and the use of drones by acquiring the technology and thus take over from the US.
"I have discussed the issue of helping us acquire this technology with the U.S. administration," Saba quoted Hadi as saying at the time.
The Pentagon has agreed to buy Yemen 12 Seabird Seeker surveillance aircraft as to bring up the country's air capacity and allows better intelligence to be collected from the ground as part of a broad anti-terror surveillance operation.
With al-Qaeda having proven that its cells are far from being confined to Yemen' southern territories, Washington has been keen to create an all-inclusive intelligence web across Yemen by optimizing its technological advantage.
On Monday, Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Mohammed Nasser could be seen at an air force base welcoming the arrival of Yemen's two newest military airplanes.
Officials explained that US pilots will continue to offer Yemen's air force technical and training support.