The United Arab Emirates (UAE) informed the United States about the suspension of negotiations on the purchase of the F-35. This was announced on Tuesday, October 14, according to the official representative of the country's authorities.
"The UAE has informed the United States that it will suspend discussions on the acquisition of the F-35. Technical requirements, sovereign operational restrictions, cost-benefit analysis led to a reassessment," RIA Novosti quoted a representative of the UAE as saying.
He also pointed out that "the United States remains the most preferred supplier of advanced defense technologies for the UAE, and discussions on the supply of F-35s may be resumed in the future."
In October, US Senators Robert Menendez and Jack Reed demanded to clarify the details of the alleged sale of F-35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates. The politicians recalled that the UAE, among other things, cooperates with Russia and China in the field of weapons. Senators questioned the protection of the secrets of American technology.
In April, it became known that the United States officially notified Turkey of the country's exclusion from the fifth-generation F-35 fighter production program.
It was indicated that this was due to Ankara's purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems. The source noted that the 2006 memorandum on this program was updated to take into account the remaining eight countries - the United States, Great Britain, Italy, Australia, Denmark, Canada, Norway and the Netherlands.
The F-35 is a multi-purpose combat vehicle that was designed using visibility reduction technology. In 2019, Washington decided to exclude Ankara from the program. Israel and Japan are also buying F-35s.
