Find a course
/ News / Emirati student flying high at the Defence Academy

Emirati student flying high at the Defence Academy

30 October 2023
•
international
A woman leaning on an armoured vehicle

Meet Lieutenant Engineer Nouf Albalooshi: the first Emirati to enrol in a graduate defence programme at the Defence Academy.

A woman leaning on an armoured vehicle

Lt Eng. Albalooshi serves as an officer in the Unmanned Aerial Systems Centre under the Dubai Police Department of Operations and has recently embarked on a master’s degree in Defence Simulation and Modelling with Cranfield University.

As part of an ongoing move to digitisation by the United Arab Emirates government to better support Dubai Police operations, Lt Eng. Albalooshi aims to explore how the simulation of technical and tactical practises can facilitate continued expansion in operational roles.

With a personal interest in aviation, Lt Eng. Albalooshi was making DIY drones by the age of 13 before going on to graduate from Khalifa University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Aerospace Engineering.

“By using unmanned aerial vehicles we are striving to implement competent procedures for operating and performing self-checks and maintenance without human intervention.
“An example of this that is already in practise, is the use of drones around urban areas of Dubai to support and assist in incident assessment. These drones can be dispatched and operated from a centralised command control room.
“I feel deeply honoured to represent my country and pave the way for future graduates. Upon graduation I hope to proudly raise the UAE flag in the main hall of the <a href="https://www.da.mod.uk/study-with-us/colleges-and-schools/defence-college-for-military-capability-integration">Defence College for Military Capability Integration</a>.”
Back to top
Information
Contact us Accessibility Privacy notice Mobility access About cookies
Links
Defence Awarding Organisation Defence Learning Environment (DLE) Requests for information (FOI/DPA)
Links
Crown Copyright 2025
The views expressed in the papers, publications, and articles available on this site are entirely and solely those of the respective authors and do not necessarily reflect official thinking or policy either of His Majesty's Government or of the Ministry of Defence. This site offers links to other sites thereby enabling you to leave this site and go directly to the linked site. This site is not responsible for the content of any linked site or any link in a linked site. This site is not responsible for any transmission received from any linked site. The links are provided to assist visitors to this site and the inclusion of a link does not imply that the organisation endorses or has approved the linked site.