J-20
According to the foreign magazine The National Interest, due to the complexity of the F-35 procurement agreement, the UAE is considering the Chinese J-20 stealth fighter as a potential alternative.
Allegedly, this news came after the visit of the Joint Operations Commander of the UAE Armed Forces to Beijing on April 23.
In November 2020, the Trump administration initially approved a deal to sell up to 50 stealth F-35 fighter jets to the UAE, worth $23 billion, aimed at boosting the UAE's military capabilities amid growing regional uncertainty.
However, the deal has faced various obstacles, starting with the Biden administration's announcement in 2021 that it would freeze the F-35 fighter jet deal with the UAE after the UAE rejected the U.S. request to stop using Huawei's 5G products. Since then, Israel has been slow to approve the sale of F-35s to the UAE.
Yes, you read that right, the U.S. sale of the F-35 to the UAE requires Israeli approval, but Israel recently approved the deal after years of negotiations due to the normalization of diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE in August 2020.
F-35
However, the Biden administration still found an excuse to block the deal, and although the UAE government lobbied the US government through the manufacturer Lockheed Martin – after all, the deal was so lucrative that the Biden administration did not act.
So the UAE's growing frustration with the stalled F-35 deal has led them to explore other options, including China's J-20 fighter jets. The UAE's Joint Operations Commander, who met with the commander of the Continental Air Force during his visit to Beijing, signaled the UAE's possible pivot to the mainland amid the ongoing impasse in negotiations with the United States.
Produced by Lockheed Martin, the F-35 Lightning II is mainly used for air supremacy, land attack and reconnaissance missions, and the F-35 is known for its advanced stealth technology and ability to handle complex battlefield information.
The J-20, developed and produced by Chengfei, is also a fifth-generation stealth fighter, which was equipped with troops in 2017, and according to military experts, the J-20 is mainly used for air supremacy and precision strike missions, emphasizing stealth and speed, and its aerodynamic configuration allows it to reach supersonic cruise without the use of afterburner.
The J-20 is equipped with ultra-long-range air-to-air missiles that the United States does not currently possess to strike ultra-long-range air targets, and it is more concerned with air supremacy, which is more suitable for the battlefield environment around the mainland. The characteristics of the F-35 are its versatility and ability to command and respond to the coordinated operations of various military units as a battlefield information node.
But for the UAE, neither of these tactical characteristics fully matches its defense needs, and the political significance of purchasing stealth fighters is greater than the actual combat significance.
Economic ties between the UAE and the mainland have strengthened in recent years, with China being the UAE's largest non-oil trading partner in the world. Cooperation between the two countries is also increasing in the field of military trade, such as the recent purchase of the mainland's L-15A Falcon combat trainer by the United Arab Emirates.
L-15 trainer
According to the "National Interest" magazine, the cooperative relationship between the two sides is not limited to arms purchases and general commercial activities, but has begun to extend to strategic military affairs. For example, in 2021, U.S. intelligence discovered a Chinese military facility under construction in a UAE port, but we did not admit it.
In addition, the poor performance of Russian warplanes in the Russia-Ukraine conflict has led the UAE to abandon any partnership with Russia in the field of aviation (note: sic).
The UAE's interest in the J-20 is part of its strategy to diversify its military procurement, which previously focused on Western equipment, similar to the US F-16 fighter jet and the French Mirage 2000-9 fighter jet, and the UAE's move from the acquisition of L-15A trainer aircraft could alter the balance of power in the region and affect future US arms sales prospects in the Middle East.
However, "National Interest" also said in the end that it seems that China has no idea of exporting the J-20, and they prefer the FC-31 (or the Air Force version of the J-35) fighter that Shenfei is still in test flight. In short, with the F-35 fighter deal blocked, discussions with China on stealth fighter arms sales could be a means for the UAE to put pressure on the United States.