UAE confirms F-35 agreement inked with Trump administration
The weapons package, which includes dozens of the stealth fighter jets, drones and other munitions, is valued at $23 billion.
The United Arab Emirates has confirmed that it finalized an eleventh-hour agreement with the Trump administration this week to buy $23 billion worth of F-35 fighter jets and other advanced weaponry.
The Gulf country inked letters of agreement with the US government for the aircraft the day before President Joe Biden’s inauguration, the Emirati Embassy in Washington said in a statement Thursday. The letters covered the "costs, technical specifications and anticipated delivery schedules" of the defense package.
According to the embassy, the deal includes as many as 50 F-35 fighters valued at $10.4 billion, 18 MQ-9 Reaper drones valued at $2.97 billion and various munitions valued at $10 billion. The sale will make the UAE the first Arab country to possess the Lockheed Martin-made F-35, the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft. The jets’ estimated delivery date is 2027, reports Reuters.
The fifth-generation fighter jets come as part of a reported side deal in the Trump administration-brokered Abraham Accords, which established diplomatic relations between the UAE and Israel in September in exchange for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreeing to hold off on a planned annexation of large portions of the West Bank.
