Senate rejects attempt to stymie UAE F-35 deal
Potential stumbling block to multibillion-dollar arms package is avoided
An attempt to block the $23 billion sale of F-35A fighter aircraft and MQ-9B Reaper UAVs to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) failed in the Senate on 9 December.
Senators voted 49-47 to reject a bill proposed by Democrat Senator Bob Menendez to prevent the F-35A deal. Another proposal to ban the export of Reapers to the UAE also failed, by 50-46.
The UAE has therefore passed a major hurdle in the way of it becoming the first Arab country to operate the F-35 and the second Middle Eastern country to do so after Israel.
In all, the UAE expects to buy up to 50 F-35s for $10.4 billion, 18 Reapers for $2.97 billion and various air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions for $10 billion.
The UAE and the DSCA still need to agree and sign Letters of Offers and Acceptance in order to formally conclude the deal.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Defence Notes
-
![Resilience, adaptiveness and collaboration vital for success in space (Studio)]()
Resilience, adaptiveness and collaboration vital for success in space (Studio)
Speakers at the Defence In Space Conference (DISC) 2025 highlighted the critical and evolving role of space in national security, defence and the global economy.
-
![Why the NORAD inventory might be the US and Canada’s Achilles’ heel]()
Why the NORAD inventory might be the US and Canada’s Achilles’ heel
Both the US and Canada operate Cold War-era capabilities which cannot defeat today’s and tomorrow’s threats.
-
![Companies’ results boom as countries dig deep to buy missiles and air defence systems]()
Companies’ results boom as countries dig deep to buy missiles and air defence systems
Air defence systems are continuing to appear top of countries’ shopping lists but broadly across different capabilities it is a sellers’ market, as demonstrated by backlogs and double-digit percentage point growth.
