President Trump authorized the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to acquire 50 F-35A fighter-bombers from Lockheed-Martin shortly before leaving the White House in January 2021, motivated by their rapprochement with Israel under the Abraham Accords. However, Joe Biden, his successor, immediately placed a moratorium on this unsigned order.
For the new US administration, this measure was necessary for at least two reasons. The first was that delivering F-35A jets to the UAE air force could challenge Israel’s “Qualitative Military Edge” (QME), which is the US commitment to maintaining Israel’s military superiority in the Middle East. In addition, the close ties between Abu Dhabi and Beijing, including the UAE’s choice of Huawei to build its 5G telecommunications network, raised concerns about increased espionage risks.
In December 2021, after signing a deal to purchase 80 Rafale F4 fighter jets from Dassault Aviation, the UAE indicated that acquiring the F-35A was no longer a priority. “Technical requirements, (US-imposed) operational sovereignty restrictions, and a cost-benefit analysis led to this reassessment,” an Emirati official explained. Efforts by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to salvage the deal were unsuccessful.
Although Russia attempted to intervene by offering the Su-75 “Checkmate,” the UAE turned its attention to China for a fifth-generation fighter jet, or at least appeared to do so. In February, the Emirati Ministry of Defense suggested interest in the Chengdu J-20 “Mighty Dragon” or the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation’s FC-31 “Gyrfalcon.”
In reality, the UAE is waiting for a more favorable political climate in Washington. According to a September 13 Reuters report, the UAE hopes to elect Donald Trump in the upcoming November presidential race, where he will face Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s last-minute selection. This move circumvented the primaries, where Biden emerged victorious.
Three Emirati officials told Reuters that the UAE plans to “resume negotiations” on the F-35A purchase and will ask a possible new Trump administration to “honor the original deal” sealed in 2021.
However, these sources did not clarify what Abu Dhabi would do if Harris were to win, despite her two visits to the UAE in 2022 and 2023. However, the Biden administration reportedly offered Saudi Arabia the opportunity to purchase the F-35A during negotiations over a new defense pact, reinforcing the Emiratis’ hopes of acquiring the aircraft.
