Possible sale of fifty F-35A and eighteen MQ-9B to the United Arab Emirates
On 10 November 2020, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced three large possible Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The news follows a informal notification late October of the planned sale of F-35A Lightning II fighter jets and MQ-9B armed Remotely Piloted Aircraft to the country.
Among Washington’s closest Middle East allies, UAE was promised the opportunity to buy Lightning IIs if it would normalize relations with Israel. Informal notification of Congress for the sale of 50 of the Lockheed Martin aircraft took place on 29 October 2020. After staff and members of Congress had been briefed about the sale as the informal notification, the State Department has now issued this formal notification, after which Congress has 30 days to object to the deal.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has made some statements prior to the posting of the DSCA announcements: "This is in recognition of our deepening relationship and the UAE’s need for advanced defense capabilities to deter and defend itself against heightened threats from Iran” and "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."
In three separate announcements congress is formally notified of the request by the UAE to buy, firstly, up to fifty Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II for up to USD 10.4 billion. The package includes, but is not limited to, spare Pratt & Whitney engines, Electronic Warfare Systems, Autonomic Logistics Global Support System (ALGS), Operational Data Integrated Network (ODIN), aircraft ferry and tanker support, personnel training and training equipment.
Secondly, eighteen Weapons-Ready General Atomic Aeronautical Systems MQ-9B Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft for an estimated cost of USD 2.97 billion. This sale will include, but is not limited to, twenty-five Raytheon Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems-D (MTS-D) EO/IR Sensors, nineteen Lynx AN/APY-8 Synthetic Aperture Radars (SAR) with Ground Moving Target Indicator (GTMI), 515 AGM-114R Hellfire Missiles, SeaSpray 7500 maritime radars, Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) mission kits, receivers, and acoustic processors, various thermometric, passive and active sonobuoys, personnel training and training equipment.
Thirdly, an exceptionally large Munitions, Sustainment and Support package, and related equipment for an estimated cost of USD 10.0 billion is requested. This enormous sale includes what seems bombs, stand-off air-to-ground missiles and air-to-air missiles for the future Lightning II and current F-16E/F fleets.
The breakdown of the wish list is as follows:
Additionally, various Captive Air Training Missiles, missile containers, munitions components, aircraft test and integration support, weapon operational flight program software development, transportation, tools and test equipment, support equipment and much more is part of the proposed sale.
Of course, it still remains to be seen whether Congress will ultimately approve these deals and whether new presidential administration under Joe Biden, might block or change these proposed sales.
Photos (just illustrative): Robert Hardeman (Scramble Magazine Archive) and Wikipedia