UAE will suspend talks with US on F-35 fighter jets, says official

Reuters | Dubai/Washington

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The United Arab Emirates has informed the United States that it will suspend discussions to acquire F-35 fighter jets, a UAE official said yesterday, part of a $23 billion deal with the ally that also includes drones and other advanced munitions.

The sale of 50 F-35 warplanes made by Lockheed Martin to the UAE had slowed amid concerns in Washington over Abu Dhabi’s relationship with China, including the use of Huawei 5G technology in the country.

“Technical requirements, sovereign operational restrictions, and cost/ benefit analysis led to the re-assessment,” the UAE official said in a statement to Reuters that confirmed a report in the Wall Street Journal.

“The US remains the UAE’s preferred provider for advanced defence requirements and discussions for the F-35 may be re-opened in the future,” the official said, adding there were discussions to “address mutual defence security conditions for the acquisition”.

The UAE had signed an agreement to purchase 50 F-35 jets and up to 18 armed drones, people familiar with the situation told Reuters in January.

Earlier, at the Pentagon, spokesman John Kirby had said the US partnership with the UAE was more strategic and complex than a weapons sale and Washington was committed to working with Abu Dhabi to address their questions.

“We will always insist, as a matter of statutory requirements and policy, on a variety of end-use requirements,” Kirby said.

He added that a meeting between US and UAE officials at the Pentagon later this week was set to be about broad topics but anticipated that the weapons sale would come up.