HIGH-TECH US FIGHTER JETS ARRIVE IN ‘STEADFAST AND RELIABLE’ UAE HOME
▶ It is the first time that the advanced $90m F-35A Lightning II aircraft will be stationed in the Middle East
The US Air Force has F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters stationed in the Middle East for the first time.
The jets arrived at Al Dhafra Airbase in Abu Dhabi this week and are ready to be sent on missions across the region.
The aircraft, which cost about $90 million (Dh330m) each, are almost undetectable by radar. The F-35s are equipped with advanced weapons systems that mean they do not have to be pointing at their targets when firing. They can also launch electronic warfare attacks.
Advanced sensors allow the jets to “gather and distribute more information than any fighter in history”, according to the manufacturer.
Crews have been prepared and trained for operations in the area covered by US Central Command, which extends across 20 nations, from northeast Africa across the Middle East to Central and South Asia, the US Air Force said.
The move represents a “natural evolution of increased US capability and firepower in the Gulf region”, said Danny Sebright, president of the US-UAE Business Council.
“This deployment means US forces are better positioned to carry out more nimble, precise and lethal missions at greater distances,” he said.
“Hopefully, the deployment to Al Dhafra in the UAE, a steadfast and reliable US coalition partner, also means that the US is making progress in its deliberations to eventually release the technology to our closest Arab partners.”
The number of F-35As sent to the UAE from their base in Utah is being kept confidential for security reasons.
A variant of the F-35, the F-35B, has previously been used in the region, with the US aircraft carrying out the first US F-35 air strike in Afghanistan in September last year. The aircraft would go on to fly more than 100 combat missions against ISIS and Taliban targets.
But this is the first time US Air Force F-35As have been sent to the region.
“We are adding a cutting-edge weapons system to our arsenal that significantly enhances the capability of the coalition,” said Lt Gen Joseph T Guastella of the US Air Force’s Central Command.
“The sensor fusion and survivability this aircraft provides to the joint force will enhance security and stability across the theatre and deter aggressors.
“We look forward to demonstrating the full range of the F-35A’s capabilities while it increases the interoperability of our forces throughout the region.”
The F-35s are able to fly surveillance and reconnaissance missions, as well as launching air-to-ground and air-to-air attacks.
The development of the aircraft by aerospace company Lockheed Martin has at times been controversial because of the cost of the programme and questions about its effectiveness.
Although the first flights were in 2006, it became fully operational only in 2015.
The US has 200 F-35s and hundreds more on order. Other nations that have bought, or plan to buy, the F-35 include Japan, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Turkey, Italy, Israel and the UK.
The US temporarily grounded its fleet last year, after a crash. Last week, a large search operation was launched after a Japanese F-35 crashed in the Pacific Ocean.
Parts of the jet, which it was feared would be found by the Chinese or Russian militaries and exploited for intelligence, were recovered, although the pilot remains missing.
But the presence of F-35s, which have a top speed of 2,000kph, offers “air dominance” against any threat, said Gen David L Goldfein, the US Air Force Chief of Staff.
“When it comes to having a ‘quarterback’ for the coalition joint force, the interoperable F-35A is clearly the aircraft for the leadership role,” he said.