F-35 Jet No Show at Dubai Airshow?

The aircraft could still participate in the flying displays by operating from an overseas base like it did during the 2019 edition of the show. U.S. Air Force F-35s of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing have been deployed at UAE’s Al Dhafra Air Base since May 2020 so bringing them to the Dubai Airshow would pose no challenge.

The procurement of the F-35 jets along with killer drones altogether worth $23 billion, was approved by the outgoing Trump administration in 2019 which however was put on hold by the current US government under president Biden.

On October 25, the Commander of the UAE Kingdom’s Air Force Maj.-Gen. Ibrahim Nasser Mohammed al-Alawi landed in Israel for the first time as the guest of Israel Air Force Commander Amikam Norkin to participate in a conference for countries flying the F-35 during the Blue Flag aerial exercise.

The invitation hints at Israeli approval for the UAE to acquire the F-35, a potential purchase it did not green-light earlier to retain its ‘qualitative military edge’ against Islamic countries in the Middle East. It also indicates further warming up of relation between Abu Dhabi and Israel since the Abraham Accord two years ago.

There is no official word from Washington regarding F-35 sale to the UAE in recent weeks.

However, there are hints that all loops regarding F-35 sale to the UAE are yet been closed. A State Department spokesperson told Reuters April 23, 2021 that the administration would move forward with the proposed sales to the UAE, "even as we continue reviewing details and consulting with Emirati officials" related to the use of the weapons.

The last phrase is significant as the UAE has been accused by a section of the U.S. media of participating in regional ‘destabilizing’ wars such as in Yemen and Libya using American weapons.

"They want to finalise that sale, it’s just a question of working out a few more details that are under discussion … so I’m optimistic about that,” outgoing U.S. ambassador to the UAE, Philip Frayne had said in a July 28, 2021 interview with The National newspaper.

Despite optimism that the F-35 deal would go ahead, some sections of the U.S. media and politicians are apprehensive of delivering cutting-edge weapons to the UAE. A November 3, 2021 article in the influential Foreign Policy magazine states, “Awash with advanced U.S. weapons, the UAE has emerged as one of the region’s most interventionist states, pursuing policies that have prolonged the region’s civil wars, created humanitarian crises, crushed democratic aspirations, and fuelled the underlying grievances that lead to unrest.”

Will Russia be able to ‘Checkmate’ American F-35?

Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) is bringing what it calls the prototype of the Su-75 ‘Checkmate’ stealth fighter jet in its first international appearance at the Dubai airshow. Russian defense holding company Rostec and the UAE’s Defence Ministry had launched a joint venture to co-produce fifth-generation Sukhoi jets in 2017.

The venture had gone cold since the Trump administration’s approval of UAE’s application to buy the F-35 aircraft and combat drones. But now that clouds of uncertainty hang over the F-35 sale, Rostec sees an opportunity that perhaps explains the high-profile display of the ‘Checkmate’ life-size model at the event.

Even if the F-35 deal with the UAE goes ahead, other Arab countries in the region who cannot afford or will not be allowed to buy the F-35 may look towards the Russian ‘Checkmate’ as a viable alternative.