The sale was a "recognition of our deepening relationship and the UAE’s need for advanced defence capabilities," said Mike Pompeo

US approves sale of F-35 jets to UAE

photo_camera REUTERS/EDDIE KEOGH - Un avión de combate F-35B Lightning de la RAF.

Although US domestic policy still appears to be hungover following the November 4 elections and, pending Donald Trump's admission of defeat, international policy is following its course

The US State Department on Tuesday announced its intention to sell up to 50 F-35 jets to the United Arab Emirates. This sale is in the context of Washington's dealings with the Arab countries following the signing of the Abraham Accords, which has led to the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel-Bahrain and the UAE.

The sale was a "recognition of our deepening relationship and the UAE’s need for advanced defence capabilities to deter and defend itself against heightened threats from Iran," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.

Segunda ola de COVID-19 en Europa

"The proposed sale will make the UAE even more capable and interoperable with US partners in a manner fully consistent with America’s longstanding commitment to ensuring Israel’s qualitative military edge," he said.

Initially, this arms sale did not please Israel as it meant it lost its exclusivity as a trading partner for the latest generation of US aircraft, but the Israeli state itself later showed its approval of the sale of the F-35. "From the get-go, the prime minister opposed the sale of F-35s and other advanced weapons to any country in the Middle East, including Arab countries that make peace with the State of Israel," said an official statement from the office of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

As well as the F-35, the State Department also notified Congress on plans to sell other sophisticated systems to the UAE, estimated to cost $23.37 billion.

Stephanie Williams, enviada especial para la misión de la ONU en Libia

"This proposed sale [of the F-35s] will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of an important regional partner. The UAE has been, and continues to be, a vital US partner for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East," the State Department said.

"The UAE has demonstrated a commitment to modernising its military and will have no difficulty absorbing these aircraft into their armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support represents a significant increase in capability and will alter the regional military balance," it said.

The United Arab Emirates wants to modernise its military and a request for U.S. F-35 warplanes has been on the table since before a normalisation deal with Israel. “The UAE seeks like any country that takes its military seriously, to modernize its military, always, so our request for the F35 and other systems pre-dates this agreement," said UAE Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash. 

 These aircraft, developed by Lockheed Martin, are fifth generation fighters and combine advanced infiltration, speed, agility, fully integrated sensor information, network support processes and sustainability. 

They are capable of carrying out missions that require a small number of designated aircraft, such as intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and cyber attack. The fighter has already been used by the United States Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.

Aviones F-35A de la Fuerza Aérea de EE.UU., de las Alas de Caza 388 y 428, en la Base Aérea de Hill, Utah, EE.UU.

The F-35, equipped with an integrated sensor package, is the most powerful and complete of any combat aircraft in history. There are 3 versions of the F-35 and each version has special features. The first model is the F-35A and is designed for normal take-off and landing. The second model is the F-35B and is designed for short take-off and vertical landing. The third model is the F-35B and is dedicated to the service on board of CATOBAR aircraft carriers.

"The F-35 will be an upgrade to the US-supplied F-16 which President Clinton first approved for sale to the UAE in 2000. The UAE has deployed the F-16 in support of multiple US-led counter-terrorism, freedom of navigation, and stabilisation missions in Afghanistan, Syria and around the Arabian Gulf and Peninsula," said the Emirati embassy in the United States. "The UAE needs a fifth generation fighter to protect the nation, to maintain an advantage over increasingly sophisticated adversaries, and to advance the collective security interests of the US and its partners in the region".

More in Politics