Has the US officially approved F-35 sales to the UAE and when?
Executive summary
The United States formally notified Congress in 2021 of a planned F‑35 sale to the United Arab Emirates under a reported roughly $23 billion package; the Biden administration reviewed and then moved to proceed with the deal, and U.S. officials as recently as 2025 said they remained “fully committed” though talks have at times stalled [1] [2]. Available sources do not mention a later definitive “final delivery” approval or delivery date for UAE F‑35 aircraft beyond these notifications and continuing negotiations [2] [3].
1. How the UAE sale first became public — a formal Congressional notification
In April 2021, the Trump administration notified Congress about a proposed arms package that included F‑35s for the UAE, a step that is legally required before major foreign military sales; Secretary of State Mike Pompeo framed the move as tied to the Abraham Accords and said it reflected the UAE’s need to deter threats such as from Iran [1]. That notification does not equal an immediate transfer of jets but begins a 30‑day congressional review period that can result in lawmakers blocking the sale [1].
2. Biden review and a continued U.S. commitment
When President Biden took office, his team reviewed the UAE package; reporting and policy analysis say the Biden administration announced in 2022 that it would proceed with the sale after that review, and officials later reiterated continued commitment as negotiations continued [2]. Breaking Defense quoted senior State Department officials in 2025 saying there was a “continuing and robust dialogue” with Abu Dhabi on the F‑35s and related platforms [3].
3. Why “approval” is not a single moment — layers of U.S. process
A U.S. “approval” for foreign military sales is multilayered: administration decision, formal Congressional notification and review, possible congressional resolutions of disapproval, export control and Qualitative Military Edge (QME) considerations for Israel, and detailed contract and security arrangements before deliveries occur. Analysis pieces note the sale “emerged” after the Abraham Accords and that Congress retains the power to block or slow the deal [2] [4].
4. Points of friction that slowed or complicated the UAE deal
Multiple sources document sticking points: U.S. concern about Emirati ties to China (including Huawei and port investments), Abu Dhabi’s parallel purchases (e.g., French Rafales), and reciprocal security assurances and obligations that the U.S. sought from the UAE [3] [2]. Those factors triggered pauses or withdrawals of letters of offer in prior years and explain why senior U.S. officials continued consultations even while affirming commitment [3].
5. What reporting says about timing and state of the deal as of 2025
Policy analysis and reporting in 2025 describe an ongoing negotiation rather than a closed, delivery‑ready sale: the Washington Institute and Breaking Defense pieces characterize the sale as having been reviewed and the U.S. “proceeding,” but they also emphasize continuing talks and occasional suspensions or adjustments [2] [3]. Public accounts reference a roughly $23 billion figure tied to the proposed package in coverage of the 2021 notification [1] [3].
6. Comparing the UAE case to recent U.S. actions on F‑35s (Saudi example)
In November 2025, President Trump publicly said he planned to approve F‑35 sales to Saudi Arabia and the administration described approving a “major defense sale package” including future F‑35 deliveries; reporting stressed that such presidential announcements still run through the same congressional and security review channels and that Saudi jets would be less capable than Israel’s under U.S. law protecting Israel’s qualitative military edge [5] [6]. Coverage of those Saudi approvals prompted renewed attention to earlier UAE negotiations and to congressional oversight [7] [6].
7. What the sources do not say — limits of public reporting
Available sources do not provide a single final event labeled “the U.S. officially approved and delivered F‑35s to the UAE” nor do they list delivery schedules or serial approvals after the 2021 notification; instead, reporting documents formal notification, subsequent reviews, and ongoing talks with intermittent pauses [1] [2] [3]. There is no sourced record here of completed deliveries or a final, unconditional executive‑branch authorization completed after congressional review.
8. Takeaway — approved to notify and proceed, but not the same as delivery
The factual record in these sources: the U.S. formally notified Congress in 2021 about an F‑35 sale to the UAE and later administrations affirmed moving forward and maintained negotiations; continuing diplomatic, security and technology concerns have complicated and delayed final execution and deliveries [1] [2] [3]. Readers should treat “approval” as a multi‑step U.S. process — notification and presidential support do not equal immediate transfer — and note that the public reporting here stops short of documenting completed delivery.