Did the US sell f35s to the uae
Executive summary
The United States agreed to sell F‑35 fighters to the United Arab Emirates as part of a broader arms package notified to Congress during the Trump administration, including a formal notification in which 50 jets were proposed and press reports that a deal for 50 F‑35s plus drones and munitions reached advanced stages [1] [2] [3]. Negotiations continued into late 2021 amid disputes over technology access and delivery conditions, and later reporting frames the UAE sale as precedent-setting in the region [4] [5] [6].
1. What happened: a formal notification and an announced sale
The Trump administration formally notified Congress that it planned to sell as many as 50 F‑35 stealth fighters to the UAE as part of a package worth roughly $23 billion, a step that constitutes the U.S. government’s official move to make the sale available for congressional review [1] [2]. Defense and State Department notices and media coverage noted the F‑35s were packaged with MQ‑9 drones, munitions and sustainment discussions [3] [2].
2. Why the sale was politically sensitive
U.S. officials framed the sale as linked to the Abraham Accords and the UAE’s normalization with Israel, arguing the jets would help deter threats such as Iran; at the same time Israel and U.S. lawmakers raised concerns about preserving Israel’s qualitative military edge, forcing carve‑outs on technologies and capabilities in negotiations [1] [7] [6]. Sources say much of the controversy centered on how much of the F‑35’s sensitive mission systems the Emiratis would be allowed to use and where the jets could be based or deployed [7] [4].
3. Negotiations, pauses and the role of diplomacy
Reporting shows the deal moved through stages: initial hopes for a December agreement, a Reuters exclusive about a December target, a January 2021 Reuters piece saying a UAE–U.S. deal had been signed or advanced, and later notes that the Biden administration would re‑examine agreements inherited from Trump [7] [2]. The UAE at points threatened to suspend talks and explored other purchases (e.g., Rafale fighters from France), underscoring Abu Dhabi’s leverage and its parallel ties to Beijing that worried U.S. policymakers [4] [5].
4. What “sale” means in U.S. practice — notification vs. delivery
A formal notification to Congress or a State Department approval is not the same as aircraft in the air: U.S. foreign military sales require negotiation of final contracts, export control conditions, sustainment agreements, and often further executive and congressional steps before delivery. Sources note notifications can change in number, dollar figure and conditions during final talks [3] [2].
5. Regional precedent and long‑term implications
Analysts and think tanks treat the UAE F‑35 pathway as a precedent for U.S. policy in the Middle East: the sale signaled a willingness to extend fifth‑generation capabilities beyond Israel, but it also raised questions about balancing U.S. security partnerships with states that maintain economic relations with rivals like China [6] [5]. Reporting into 2025 about potential Gulf sales to other states cites the UAE episode as a reference point [8] [9].
6. Competing perspectives in the record
U.S. officials and the UAE presented the sale as strengthening regional deterrence and cementing new diplomatic ties [1]. Critics and analysts warned about technology transfer risks, the need to preserve Israel’s edge, and Abu Dhabi’s independent foreign relationships that complicate U.S. assurances [7] [5] [6]. Available sources do not mention final delivery dates or whether all originally proposed aircraft were ultimately delivered.
7. Limitations and what reporting does not say
Public sources provided here document the notification, negotiations, political framing and tensions, but they do not collectively confirm the complete final contracting, transfer schedule, or actual delivery of every aircraft to the UAE; those details are “not found in current reporting” in this set [2] [3]. For definitive confirmation of deliveries or current UAE F‑35 fleet status, procurement and defense‑department records or later press releases would be required — available sources do not mention those specifics.
Bottom line: multiple reliable news outlets and defense reporting say the U.S. moved to sell up to 50 F‑35s to the UAE and advanced an accompanying $23 billion package, the action was politically fraught and negotiated with limits intended to protect Israeli capabilities, and negotiations continued beyond the initial notification without publicly available confirmation here of completed deliveries [1] [2] [3] [6].