Turkey in Talks to Hand Its S-400s to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Report Says, in Bid to Return to the F-35

Turkey is in talks with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia about handing over its Russian-made S-400 air defence systems, according to a report by Al-Monitor's Barin Kayaoglu that was widely shared on November 10. Such a move could remove the main obstacle to Turkey's return to the US F-35 fighter program.

Neither Ankara, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh nor Moscow has publicly confirmed a deal. The report is the latest in a series of accounts since the summer that Turkey is looking for a way to part with the systems.

An S-400 missile launch during a Russian exercise. File footage still: Russian Ministry of Defence, CC BY 4.0.

Why the S-400 blocks the F-35

Turkey took delivery of the S-400 from Russia in 2019. Washington responded by halting Turkey's planned purchase of F-35s, citing concern that the Russian system could gather intelligence on the stealth jet. According to Al-Monitor, Ankara had paid about $1.7 billion toward the jets.

Congress then wrote the ban into law. The fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act bars any transfer of F-35s to Turkey for as long as it possesses the S-400. In late 2020 the US also imposed CAATSA sanctions on Turkey's main defence procurement agency and four of its officials.

Ideas floated in the past, such as keeping the systems switched off in storage, would not meet the "no longer possesses" test, which is why a transfer to a third country has become the focus.

The Gulf option

In July, the Wall Street Journal reported talks on moving the S-400s to the UAE, and Middle East Eye said Russia viewed such a sale in a positive light, while noting that President Vladimir Putin's final approval was still needed. The Kremlin confirmed at the time that it was in contact with Turkey about the systems' future. Later reports said the UAE talks had not advanced.

The new report adds Saudi Arabia to the picture. Both Gulf states face a dilemma: the US has approved a sale of 48 F-35s to Saudi Arabia, and analysts have long warned that operating an S-400 could complicate any Gulf state's own access to American stealth jets.

An F-35A at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, where Turkish pilots once trained on the jet. File photo, U.S. Air Force (public domain).

What happens next

Al-Monitor says Ankara is counting on President Donald Trump's support to get the F-35s and lift the sanctions, though Democratic gains in Congress in the midterm elections could make that harder. Any transfer would also need Russia's agreement, since the systems were sold under Russian export terms.

Militrax will update this story if any of the governments involved confirm the talks.