America’s $23 Billion Arms Deal With United Arab Emirates Will Include 50 F-35A Stealth Fighters and Much More

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has long lobbied for permission to purchase the latest class of American fighter jet, the F-35 single engine fifth generation fighter, which would make it the latest of over a dozen export clients to order the aircraft. The details of a major U.S. arms package valued at nearly $23.4 billion, which was formally approved by the State Department for sale to the UAE on November 9th, have emerged, with the Arab state set to acquire 50 of the stealth jets and a number of other advanced weapons systems for its Air Force. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated regarding the export deal, one of the largest America has ever signed although still much smaller than an earlier contract to provide heavier F-15 fighters to neighbouring Saudi Arabia: “This is in recognition of our deepening relationship and the UAE’s need for advanced defence capabilities to deter and defend itself against heightened threats from Iran… The UAE’s historic agreement to normalize relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to positively transform the region’s strategic landscape.” With Abu Dhabi having been a close Western defence partner for decades, the strengthening of its Air Force with new fighters is expected to improve the position of the United States and its European partners in the Middle East and place further pressure on potential adversaries - namely Iran. 

Alongside 50 F-35 fighters, which will be of the standard F-35A variant, the UAE will reportedly receive 18 MQ-9B Reaper attack drones and a range of other for its new aircraft. Among others, these will include 802 AIM-120C8 long range air to air missiles, 150 AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missiles, 1002 MK-83 Bombs, 515 AGM-114R Hellfire Missiles and a wide range of other guided bombs. Also included are 650 AGM-154C Joint Stand Off Weapons and 50 AGM-154E extended range variants of the same weapon - the most significant weapons system to be introduced which will provide the UAE Air Force with a strike range across much of the Middle East. The arms package represents a major boon for America’s defence sector, in line with the Donald Trump administration’s policy of strongly prioritising arms exports and using political means to gain new contracts, and is expected to be the first of many such sales to Arab gulf states as the F-35A begins to be offered more widely. Alongside Japan, the gulf region absorbs the bulk of American arms exports and has bolstered production lines in the United States for systems such as the F-15 fighter jet for decades with tens of billion of dollars. While the U.S. was initially reluctant to offer the F-35 to the UAE, Abu Dhabi’s recognition of the State of Israel, and the strict controls America will continue to have on how the aircraft is used, means the risks inherent to such a sale are relatively few.