Pentagon: F-35 Deal with UAE May Be Concluded before January 20

A Pentagon official announced that a contract for the sale of US F-35 fighters to the UAE may be concluded before the inauguration of the American president on January 20.

"This is very possible," said Director, Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) Heidi H. Grant, in response to a question about the possibility of signing the contract before a new department takes over.

She added that the Pentagon has no control over the progress and is awaiting a Congressional decision on the deal.

Commenting on the deal, Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs R. Clarke Cooper said: "This is a bilateral process between the United States and the UAE ... and there is no specific timetable."

In November, the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, announced his country’s approval to sell 50 F-35 jets to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of a broader arms deal worth more than $23bn.

In a tweet on his Twitter account, Pompeo added that the sale was a “recognition of our deepening relationship and the UAE’s need for advanced defense capabilities to deter and defend itself against heightened threats from Iran."

“The proposed sale will make the UAE even more capable and interoperable with US partners in a manner fully consistent with America’s longstanding commitment to ensuring Israel’s qualitative military edge,” he said.

The $23.37bn package includes up to 50 F-35 Lightning II aircraft, up to 18 MQ-9B Unmanned Aerial Systems, and a package of air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions, the State Department said.

The UAE Embassy in Washington said the sale of the F-35 “is consistent with the US National Defense Strategy to build and expand America’s network of alliances and partnerships to share the burden of collective security”.