United Arab Emirates pressing Washington to buy F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

United Arab Emirates pressing Washington to buy F-35 Joint Strike FighterAccording to the official reports, the United Arab Emirates is pressing Washington about buying the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. So is Israel. That's part of the United States' dilemma as it seeks to bolster the military forces of its Arab allies to counter Iran.

The Americans also want their Arab friends, particularly the Persian Gulf states that neighbor Iran, to take more responsibility for their own defense at a time when the U. S. military is tied down in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Headed by Lockheed Martin of Maryland, the F-35 program has fallen badly behind schedule. On March 11, the Pentagon admitted to a 2-year lag but industry insiders suspect it's more.

It has been estimated by the Pentagon that the stealth jet won't be ready for operational deployment until 2015 rather than 2013 as originally envisaged.

And the cost has more than doubled from $50 million per aircraft in 2002, when the program was launched, to $113 million, and the aircraft has barely left the ground.

The reports have Israel wants the F-35 quickly because it would be ideal for potential air-strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities.

The United Arab Emirates, no doubt want the state-of-the-art jet for the same reason, to give its already formidable air force a much heftier punch.

But whether the F-35 is available any time soon is unlikely to significantly change the accelerating drive by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman to get their hands on high-end weapons systems to counter Iran's massive manpower and strategic depth.

The reports further noted that this will focus primarily on air defense and naval power. The former will be to hammer Iran's military, particularly main strategic weapon, its ballistic missile forces; the latter to counter any Iranian attempt to block the Strait of Hormuz. (With Inputs from Agencies)