On April 24, Major General Saleh Mohammed bin Majran Ameri, commander of joint operations of the United Arab Emirates, led a delegation of the Ministry of National Defense to visit China.
The high-ranking military officials of the two countries will meet, and the matters they will discuss will only be related to the military. Judging from the previous exchanges between the two countries at the military level last year, the main theme of this meeting should also be to deepen the military cooperation between the two countries, such as strengthening exchanges between the two militaries so that the two militaries can grow together.
After the photo of the two was exposed, everyone noticed a detail, that is, the background picture of the talks between the two was actually two J-20 fighters, could it be that the UAE intends to buy China's J-20?
Israel is very panicked about this, once China and Argentina confirm the order for J-20 fighters, it means that the UAE's power in the Middle East will soar into the sky, side by side with Israel, or even surpass Israel. However, recently Middle Eastern countries are extremely dissatisfied with Israel, and once the UAE is equipped with J-20, it means that Israel is likely to be liquidated in the future. Unless the U.S. military ends up, the only thing that awaits the Israeli side is to be beaten.
In addition to Israel's panic, the United States is also somewhat at a loss. The UAE has long been friendly with the United States, and is even the "big lamb" of American arms exports. The United States has ruthlessly harvested several waves of wool through the export of weapons and equipment to the UAE, but if the UAE chooses to cooperate with China, it means that the wool will not be able to be harvested. What Israel and the United States are worried about, will it happen?
The United States rejected the request of the UAE to purchase the F-35, and the Arab side could only transfer the target
The UAE has maintained frequent military relations with the United States for a long time, and it can be said that the existing high-level weapons and equipment in the UAE are basically imported from the United States, or British and French goods. In other words, most of the country's weapons and equipment are produced in Europe and the United States.
In 1998, the UAE became the only country in the Middle East to barely match Israel's military prowess with the F-16E/F Desert Falcon, which was customized from the United States. However, the F-16E/F has a disadvantage, that is, it has a strong fire suppression power against the air, but not on the ground. At that time, Israel was different, and it could show high combat effectiveness both air and ground.
Later, at Israel's strong request, the Israeli side changed its equipment step by step, and finally succeeded in suppressing the UAE. At the same time, other Middle Eastern countries are changing their equipment one after another, and gradually, the UAE's military strength is beginning to decline.
At this time, the UAE proposed to the United States to purchase advanced equipment, especially the fifth-generation fighter F-35, but it was finally rejected. But because of its abundant oil resources, its location in the powder keg of the Persian Gulf, and its defense of the Strait of Hormuz, the country's military power, is in great demand for military strength.
It is a pity that the United States agreed to sell other weapons and equipment to the Arab side, but did not agree to export the most advanced fighters such as the F-35 to the United Arab Emirates. Because once exported, in the Middle East, Israel will lose the advantage of equipping fifth-generation aircraft. Especially in the current situation, Israel does not dare to risk the power of other Middle Eastern countries to stand side by side with it. Since Israel does not agree, it is impossible for the American side to nod and sell the F-35 fifth-generation aircraft to the UAE. However, the demand for the UAE to equip fifth-generation aircraft has remained high, so it can only shift the target.
The FK-21 and J-20 swayed back and forth, and the Argentine side considered a lot
Now the UAE is swinging back and forth between China's J-20 and South Korea's KF-21, and it can't make up its mind. If you buy the KF-21, you don't have to worry about causing dissatisfaction on the US side, and because the UAE's military planes are basically produced by European and American countries, they have already established a complete set of logistical support systems for the maintenance and repair of US planes. After the purchase of the KF-21, the UAE does not have to worry about the differences in the logistical support system.
However, the background picture of the photo of the high-level military talks between China and Argentina shows 2 J-20s, which means that the content of the talks between the two countries may also be related to the J-20. After all, the KF-21 is strictly speaking only a fourth-generation and a half-generation fighter, and even the American F-35 still has shortcomings compared with the J-20, especially in terms of speed, the J-20 will be faster. In this case, the UAE is even less likely to opt for the KF-21.
Therefore, it is believed that after the purchase of the F-35 is hopeless, the UAE is likely to put its mind on the Chinese side of equipping the fifth-generation aircraft formation. As early as last year, China and the Arab States began exchanges at the military level, first purchasing 12 L-15 "Falcon" advanced training aircraft, and then jointly launching the "Falcon Shield-2023" joint military exercise. In addition, the Continental Air Force was invited to participate in the Dubai Air Show, and even the two countries had contacts on the lunar project.
From all these points of view, it is also promising for the UAE to abandon the United States as a partner and choose to purchase Chinese J-20 fighters. However, even if the UAE wants to buy it, the mainland will probably not sell it.
The J-20 is the most powerful fighter on the mainland, and the J-20 will never be exported until there is a more powerful fighter, so as not to be stolen by other countries and lay hidden dangers for future national defense security.
However, the J-20 cannot be exported, which does not mean that the J-35 cannot be exported. Previously, Pakistan Railway finalized the order for the purchase of the J-35 export type, and if the UAE really wants to buy fifth-generation aircraft from China, the J-35 is the best choice.
But there is a problem with this, the UAE should not want to offend the United States for the time being, so it should not really finalize the order with the mainland J-35. The reason why the signal of the fifth-generation aircraft was released this time may be to put pressure on the US side to agree to sell it the F-35.