Intel: Senators move to block US F-35, drone sale to UAE
A bipartisan group of US senators say they received no reply from the Pentagon or State Department after inquiring last month about implications of the sale of advanced weaponry to the United Arab Emirates.
A bipartisan group of US senators has introduced four separate resolutions intended to halt a major proposed sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets and armed drones to the United Arab Emirates.
Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Rand Paul, (R-KY) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) introduced the measures on Wednesday opposing the sale, which they say could imperil the F-35’s highly classified technology and lead to an arms race in the Middle East.
The Donald Trump administration formally notified Congress last week of its plan to sell 50 F-35s, 18 armament-ready MQ-9B drones, tracking technology and munitions worth more than $23 billion.
The sale proposal came after the UAE agreed to establish formal ties with Israel as part of the outgoing Trump administration’s Abraham Accords initiative.
