F-35 fighters on the likely armament of the UAE will change the balance of power in the Middle East

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F-35 fighters on the likely armament of the UAE will change the balance of power in the Middle East

A second country may emerge in the Middle East with the latest American F-35 aircraft in service with its air forces. The main condition influencing the success of the contract may be the improvement of relations with Israel.

Israel's "quality military advantage" and the supply of arms to the Arabs


Until recently, Washington was not going to sell the F-35 to Arab countries. This was due to the persistent position of Israel, whose interests in no way include strengthening its potential opponents. However, the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, mediated by the United States, may change the prevailing attitude towards the purchase of the latest weapons.



It has always been very important for Israel to maintain a "quality military advantage" over its Arab neighbors, including even Egypt and Jordan, which have diplomatic relations with the Jewish state. This position is understandable: even the presence of governments loyal to Israel does not guarantee that the political course of these Arab states will not change in the future.

But nothing lasts forever, and the very alignments of Middle East politics are changing. Today the main and most dangerous enemy of Israel is Iran, but some Arab states may well become allies of the Israelis in the confrontation with the Islamic republic.


While the only owner of the F-35 in the region is Israel

The United Arab Emirates is one of the most loyal countries on the Arabian Peninsula to Israel, maintaining good relations with the United States and also positioning itself as an enemy of Iran. Therefore, the Pentagon can admit the likelihood of selling F-35 fighters to the Emirates: in addition to Israel, the Americans may need another well-armed ally to curb Iranian expansion in the Middle East.

F-35 on the likely armament of the UAE will change the balance of power in the Middle East


As you know, the UAE has always been very scrupulous about the weapons of its army and tried to buy the most modern and high-quality weaponwithout stopping at high prices. For example, it is the UAE that is the second, after France, the owner of an expensive tank AMX-56 Leclerc. The UAE leadership spent a lot of money on the purchase of 388 French tanks.

As for the UAE Air Force, there are currently dozens of F-16 aircraft in service. But Abu Dhabi expects that the acquisition of the F-35 will provide a much greater advantage in the air over Iran than it is now. Moreover, it should be borne in mind that the Iranian aviation Most of them are equipped with obsolete aircraft purchased before the Islamic Revolution of 1979. In addition, the F-35's stealth capabilities significantly hamper the operation of Iranian air defenses.


Airplane F-16 of the United Arab Emirates Air Force

In addition to the F-35, the UAE is also going to buy drums Drones American Reaper. Currently, the UAE is armed with Chinese-made unmanned aerial vehicles that were used during the armed conflict in Yemen, where the UAE and Saudi Arabia are not quite successful in confronting the Houthi rebels. But, apparently, the UAE is not so satisfied with the quality of Chinese drones and looks with lust towards American aircraft.

It is worth noting that if the United States does start delivering the F-35 to the UAE, this country will become the second in the Middle East after Israel to have the latest fighter jet. Recall that the supply of F-35 to Turkey was disrupted by the American side after Turkish President Recep Erdogan purchased Russian S-400 air defense systems. The appearance of the F-35 in service with the UAE will significantly change the balance of power in the region. Moreover, the very fact of the sale of the latest fighters can force other countries, primarily Saudi Arabia, to normalize relations with Israel in order to also get the opportunity to acquire the latest American weapons.
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43 comments
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  1. +2
    26 August 2020 09: 25
    The main enemy is Iran .... if other questions arise, the F-35 update will be disabled. Or they won't supply weapons.
    1. +1
      26 August 2020 10: 58
      Give or sell to the Arabs aspiring, all will be beats.
    2. Maz
      -7
      26 August 2020 11: 08
      Yeah, they still can't agree on when they will meet live, chew this topic for the second week. There has already been a refusal to meet Pompeo, the Israeli representative and the head of the UAE. Right now they are talking on the phone. Looks like the graters are pretty strong. And it was the Arabs who went into refusal first and retreated. Inside Israel, they do not want to give up technology. Americans sho then chew theirs. In general, there is still a booth there. And you want to be known as peacekeepers and break through the Arab anti-Israel front, but you don't go as smoothly as Israel would like. Well, which is to be expected. Swan, crayfish and pike from Krylov's fable. They made up, aha, how! Straight straight away!
    3. Maz
      0
      31 August 2020 15: 44
      Before the landing of an Israeli plane: explosions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, there are casualties
      The second explosion thundered near the airport, where the Israeli liner landed - do you speak? Oh well
  2. +1
    26 August 2020 09: 25
    Well what for a balance of power, Iran needs to sell something more modern from the radar and air defense systems ... everyone will be happy.
  3. -1
    26 August 2020 09: 27
    Laudatory odes to the American military-industrial complex on how to drive the F-35! Who is the customer of this material on VO?
    Now Iran will buy the S-400 and then the panic will begin .................
    1. +1
      26 August 2020 09: 29
      VO itself took distribution ..., wants to carry out supplies to the RF Ministry of Defense. And Kaspersky will be admitted to Soft. The board will be updated.
  4. +7
    26 August 2020 09: 30
    Negotiations are already underway at the level of ministers of various departments. The F-35 is just a little of the benefits that the UAE will receive from improved relations with Israel. Naturally, the benefits must be mutual.
    1. 0
      26 August 2020 10: 19
      Quote: A. Privalov
      , the benefits must be mutual.

      Knowing the long history of conflicts with your neighbors, it is unlikely that you will achieve mutual benefit.
      1. +3
        26 August 2020 10: 30
        What kind of neighbors and conflicts are we talking about?
    2. -3
      26 August 2020 10: 51
      Quote: A. Privalov
      F-35, this is the smallest of those


      And what is the point for them that is, Pinwin to buy? The thing in real life is of little use, given that they will still snatch from the Israeli Air Force, even if they arm themselves with Starships. Arabs do not lose a war only if they fight with themselves. And given that the F-35 can be turned off remotely, the meaning is not clear.
      1. +5
        26 August 2020 11: 04
        Quote: Cyril G ...
        What's the point

        They are afraid of reckless ayatols. They are very close. They are looking for opportunities to strengthen themselves. They have a lot of money. F-35 they can afford.
      2. +6
        26 August 2020 19: 56
        Quote: Cyril G ...
        And what is the point for them that is, Pinwin to buy?
        Well, they don't read VO, if they read they knew that there was no F-35, and the S-300 had one left, and the S-400 just sneezed and fell. What would you translate for them?
        1. -2
          26 August 2020 20: 41
          Quote: muham
          Would you make a translation for them?


          And you would be silent altogether, since you don't understand anything ...
  5. +4
    26 August 2020 09: 31
    This is a purely political issue. At the moment.

    Once upon a time, the F-16, which the UAE and other countries in the region have, was a novelty. And the F-35 is its replacement at a new technological level.

    Plus the commercial benefit of the United States. While the interest in the plane is high, it is necessary to sell to the richest and most ambitious laughing
  6. KCA
    0
    26 August 2020 09: 36
    When will the arms embargo end there? In October? The F-35 after October may not be needed by the UAE, the S-400, of course, the order execution time is not a month or a year, but the S-300 from storage may well be sold to Iran, not very new, but obviously useful
    1. +7
      26 August 2020 09: 43
      The waiting list for the F-35 is 6-7 years.
      (this is at the current plant productivity of 16 units per month)
      If the Emirates orders this year, they will start receiving in 2027.
      1. KCA
        -1
        26 August 2020 10: 01
        Well, in 6-7 years it will be possible for Iran to build the S-400 for Iran, or even the S-500, they write that they went out for testing as part of the complex, and not in separate parts
        1. +3
          26 August 2020 10: 04
          There is time ... smile
        2. +7
          26 August 2020 13: 23
          Quote: KCA
          Iran to build S-400 for Iran, or even S-500,

          And what will they sell after the first destruction of C ....?
          1. KCA
            0
            26 August 2020 13: 52
            And after the first destruction of the F-35?
            1. +7
              26 August 2020 13: 57
              Quote: KCA
              And after the first destruction of the F-35?

              After the first and tenth destruction, aircraft continue to be produced and sold, but with air defense systems, yes, but it is unlikely to buy.
              1. -2
                26 August 2020 14: 24
                Quote: Vitaly Gusin
                but with air defense systems, yes, but it is unlikely to buy.


                Similar to planes, inside and out. Will both release and sell ... The question of balance .. Examples? I have them.
                SAM S-125. The first aircraft was shot down by the S-125 air defense system during the War of Attrition in 1970. The first division was lost at the same time, The last manned aircraft was shot down in May 1999 F-16, the last unmanned aircraft was Predator in 2015, the last known sale of the C-125 used in 2008 .... The modernization continues to this day.
                1. KCA
                  0
                  26 August 2020 14: 47
                  The S-125 was already outdated in 1970, it was adopted in the USSR in 1961, and development has been going on since 1956, if there has been no modernization for 9 years, what can we talk about? Russia, it seems, did not sell any modifications of the C-20 in the 125s, unless Ukraine and Belarus, besides, it is almost a stationary complex, you can’t tinker from place to place, and even close-range, with a MIG -25 freely falling FAB flew over 40 km, and there were definitely gliding bombs in 1999, and the C-125 had a range of up to 32 km
                  1. +1
                    26 August 2020 14: 51
                    Quote: KCA
                    from place to place you can’t carry around,

                    Think?



                    Modernizations, I emphasize, are going on to this day
                    1. KCA
                      +1
                      26 August 2020 15: 10
                      It's just that it's not Almaz-Antey that is developing modifications at all, and the modification originally from Ukraine or Belarus does not inspire confidence, especially the attempts of the former ATS countries

                      The last attempt to modernize the S-125 air defense missile system took place in 1980, when it was proposed to transfer the missile guidance station to a digital element base, decouple the missile and target channels by introducing two control posts (it allowed the introduction of the "full lead" method to increase the far border of the affected area to 42 km ) and the introduction of a missile homing channel. These proposals were rejected due to concerns that the updated S-125 would interfere with the ongoing production of the S-300P air defense systems.
                      1. +1
                        26 August 2020 17: 38
                        Quote: KCA
                        or Belarus is not very credible,

                        Well, the work of Tetraedar, as far as I know, shot successfully in a jamming environment. Let's not argue with the S-125 and is now more alive than all living things, and soon it will be re-adopted in Ukraine.
                      2. KCA
                        0
                        26 August 2020 18: 20
                        It is clear that in the event of war, all means are good, but the C-125 for 60 years, of course, was produced until 1980, but simply upgrading cannot reach the modern level, if I have an i486 computer, well, I just can't upgrade it to an i7, connect SSD SATA-3, install DDR-4 memory, you need to change everything, even the case, including the power supply, even the keyboard
                      3. 0
                        26 August 2020 18: 24
                        Wait, a really adequate Air Force capable of conducting a serious operation of at least an operational scale is considered to be the maximum on the fingers, well, you can also count on your feet, but in the confrontation between some Mozambique and Tanzania, 2-3 ZRDn S-125 is quite a solution to the issue. And they are quite capable of sweeping away from the sky a couple of dozen aircraft of the opposing forces.
                      4. KCA
                        0
                        26 August 2020 18: 34
                        If Mozambique has a MiG-21, and Tanzania has an F-4, then yes, although in Mozambique it may be that it will be fresher, in 1992 I could go from school to Cuba, to Mozambique, to WGV, or Taman with cantima, but myopia , and in hot climates the heart and vision sits down, they were sent to the Western Group of Volunteers, and could have been to Mozambique or Cuba, as an assistant adviser (signalman), and 5 pieces of instructions, it seems, passed
                      5. 0
                        26 August 2020 18: 46
                        Do you think a dozen and a half Su-30K or F-16 can solve something?
                      6. KCA
                        0
                        26 August 2020 19: 12
                        If the enemy has a dozen and a half aircraft, then maybe, especially considering the range of air-to-surface missiles, I am not sure that the S-125 can easily cope with the Kh-35, Kh-59, Kh-29, Kh-31 or KAB, zh cited a quote that digital control was not done on the C-125, and 60 years is 60 years, at the time of the development of the C-125 a miracle appeared - IBM Winchester with a freaky capacity of 5MB and weighing a ton, what are the dimensions and weight of a 1TB SSD? 2.5 '', and the size is chosen for convenience, there is no beech in the notes, you can shrink 3-4 times, and the weight is 10 grams, all the electronics have changed so much somewhere
                      7. 0
                        26 August 2020 21: 02
                        Quote: KCA
                        then maybe, especially given the range of air-to-surface missiles,

                        So how did the Ukrainian Air Force get it? Until the moment when they left the game, themselves. There was not much air defense in Donetsk
  7. -2
    26 August 2020 09: 47
    .... besides Israel, the Americans may need another well-armed ally to contain Iranian expansion in the Middle East.

    And who will protect the Middle East from American expansion? Although what I mean is not an expansion, but the spread of their "democracy" across the planet.
  8. +4
    26 August 2020 09: 59
    Israel's "quality military advantage" and the supply of arms to the Arabs

    And the Arabs helped to win a quality advantage in weapons ??? Shoy, I don't remember that.
  9. +2
    26 August 2020 10: 01
    And I'm more interested in who will fly the F35? The UAE is a country of foreign workers.
    1. +9
      26 August 2020 10: 08
      Indeed, it is not very clear. But they will be able to recruit a couple of dozen pilots from their elite. Not all children of sheikhs have degenerated and degraded in luxury.
      It is much more difficult to train good technicians for the F-35. Will Europeans be hired?
      1. +3
        26 August 2020 10: 31
        It is much more difficult to train good technicians for the F-35. Will Europeans be hired?

        and this is a common practice for them. Do you think that they serve other types of weapons themselves? wink
      2. 0
        26 August 2020 10: 54
        Quote: voyaka uh
        It is much more difficult to train good technicians for the F-35. Will Europeans be hired?


        Indeed, what is in reality now with the engineering and technical personnel in the Air Force of the monarchies? I'm talking about the Saudis and the UAE and others.
    2. +2
      26 August 2020 10: 09
      Babermetis...And I'm more interested in who will fly the F35? The UAE is a country of foreign workers.

      Yeah. They have the lowest status, this is a policeman (government representative). In other areas of service
      "proud Arabs", Indo-Asians everywhere.
  10. +2
    26 August 2020 11: 27
    I have not mastered the translation of the title from Russian into Russian. Help!
  11. The comment was deleted.
  12. 0
    26 August 2020 15: 21
    Quote: iouris
    I have not mastered the translation of the title from Russian into Russian. Help!

    This means that the UAE will probably enter service, which is not clear here.
  13. Lew
    0
    26 August 2020 15: 37
    in my opinion, the balance of power depends on forces (the ability to fight), and of course, partly also on technology ... we have already seen how the Syrians jumped out of our tank, only because they were loudly hit by a shell without causing harm to the tank .. ...
    as they say, it was not the reel, I was sitting in the cockpit ...

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