A fighter jet is on display at the Dubai Airshow 2021 in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Nov. 14, 2021.(Photo: Xinhua)

The UAE and its allies warned Sunday of the rising threat of drone attacks, as Middle East militants rapidly acquire a taste for the cheap and easily accessible unmanned systems.

But while the countries called for a collective effort to protect airspaces against the small and often hard-to-detect targets, one question remained: how to easily stop a drone attack?

"We have to unite to prevent the use of drones from threatening civilian safety and destroying economic institutions," Mohammed bin Ahmed al-Bowardi, United Arab Emirates' Minister of State for Defense Affairs, said at a defense conference in Abu Dhabi.

The Unmanned Systems Exhibition (UMEX), running until Wednesday, began in the UAE capital with regional and Western military and industry representatives.

Speakers addressed the importance of developing such systems for civil and military uses but also acknowledged their dangers when used by groups deemed a threat to the region. 

While the event will showcase the latest in high-tech drone technology, the host country warned that such weapons are becoming cheaper and more widespread.

They are now part of the arsenals of "terrorist groups that use the systems to terrorize civilians or to impact the global system in a negative way," said the UAE's Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Omar bin Sultan al-Olama.

"That is a challenge that requires us to... work together to ensure that we can create a shield against the use of these systems."

The UAE is part of a Saudi-led military coalition that has been fighting in Yemen since 2015 to support the government against Iran-backed Huthi rebels.

While the Emirates announced it withdrew its troops from the country in 2019, it remains an influential player, backing fighters there. 

The UAE has been on heightened alert since a Huthi drone and missile attack killed three oil workers in Abu Dhabi on January 17. 

AFP