F-35, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
The United Arab Emirates is threatening to pull out of a multibillion-dollar deal to buy Lockheed Martin’s F-35 joint strike fighter, the Wall Street Journal reported exclusively on Tuesday.
The reported ultimatum would mark a significant step between two allies at odds over China’s role in the Gulf region and, specifically, inside the Emirates. The U.A.E. also said deals for Reaper drones and other advanced munitions were at risk. The $23 billion arms deal was signed in the final days of the Trump administration.
U.S. officials also believed it could be a bargaining chip played a day before a visit Wednesday by a high-level U.A.E. military delegation to the Pentagon.
“We remain committed to these sales, and the Emiratis have raised some concerns,” a U.S. official told the Journal in acknowledging receipt of the U.A.E.’s concerns. “Frankly, we have some questions of our own. This sort of back-and-forth is not unusual for significant arms sales and we are hopeful we can work through these issues, and we think the joint military dialogue will give us an opportunity to do so.”
The F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter (JSF) is a stealthy, supersonic multirole fighter developed by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company for the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps as well as program partners from NATO and other U.S. allies.
The single-seat fighter was designated the F-35 Lightning II in July 2006. The JSF is available in three variants: F-35A, a conventional take-off and landing aircraft (CTOL); F-35B, a short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft; and F-35C, a carrier variant (CV).
The aircraft is assembled at the company’s Fort Worth plant.
The Emirati government told U.S. officials that it intended to kill the deal because Abu Dhabi believed security requirements the U.S. had laid out to safeguard the high-tech weaponry from Chinese espionage were too onerous, officials said.
The U.S. has grown increasingly troubled over China’s influence inside the U.A.E.