Report: US, UAE Seek Agreement on F-35s by December

In the wake of the peace agreement signed between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, the United States and the UAE are seeking to reach an initial agreement on buying the advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets by December, sources close to the talks said.

The sources told Reuters that the aim of the negotiations is to reach an agreement by UAE National Day on Dec. 2.

The deal between the UAE and the United States must honor an agreement with Israel that guarantees a “qualitative military edge” over any Middle Eastern states that purchase U.S. weapons, the Reuters report says,

According to the report, one solution being discussed is to have the Lockheed Martin Corporation make the F-35 more visible to Israeli radar systems.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz is in Washington and will meet with his U.S. counterpart Mark Esper on Tuesday to discuss the matter.