Egypt wanted to modernize its air force but was refused to sell the F-35 by the United States, forcing it to choose Russia's Su-35S fighter.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper on November 13 sent a letter to Egyptian Defense Minister Mohamed Ahmed Zaki to urge the country to cancel the contract to buy Russian Su-35S fighters if they do not want to be punished, The Wall Street Journal of the US revealed.

"Egypt is at risk of being punished under the US Anti-Rival Act through the Embargo (CAATSA) if it receives modern weapons from Russia. That will at least make it difficult for military transactions and US security support with Egypt, "the letter reads.

Cairo has repeatedly called on Washington to live up to the commitment made by U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting with Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah Al Sisi in 2018, in which the White House boss promised to sell Cairo 20 super fighters. F-35.

"This commitment has been mentioned in every meeting between Egyptian and US officials since then, but it has been repeatedly rejected at working levels," the US official, who declined to be named, said. This is considered one of the reasons that pushed Egypt to come to Russia.

The Pentagon is implementing a policy of not selling F-35 stealth fighters to any country in the Middle East other than Israel, a key US ally. Even major US customers like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) cannot buy the F-35, although they have expressed interest in this fighter model. The ban is expected to take effect for many years to come, making it difficult for Trump's commitment to Al Sisi to become reality.

Egypt possesses one of the largest armed forces in the Middle East with military spending of about $ 3.1 billion in 2018. However, many officials say the country cannot afford to buy American super fighters. Because the cost is too expensive, when each F-35A has a factory price of about $ 83 million, not to mention weapons and service infrastructure.

Egypt signed a deal worth 2 billion to buy more than 20 Su-35S fighters with Russia in mid-March, equivalent to the amount China spent to own 24 Su-35S fighters with full equipment. .

The contract is part of a plan to modernize the Egyptian air force, helping the force to own the first air superiority fighters, fulfilling the goal set by Cairo from the mid-1970s when it proposed the United States to fight. F-15 fighter. The lack of heavy fighters left the Egyptian air force always in a weak position compared to its neighbors such as Israel and Algeria.

The US has sold more than 200 F-16 fighters to Egypt, but has refused to deliver modern air-to-air missiles such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9X Sidewinder. The Egyptian F-16 squadron is only equipped with the medium-range AIM-7 Sparrow missiles and the outdated AIM-9 version, which is significantly limited in combat capability and unable to cope with modern fighters in service. Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

The arrival of more than 20 Su-35S will revolutionize Egypt's aerial capabilities, allowing it to own one of the most modern heavy fighters in the world, with a diverse arsenal of weapons. with guided missiles with a range of about 100 km, such as R-27 and RVV-AE.

"The Su-35S not only helps Egypt compete with regional powers, but also provides a clear advantage in dogfights, allowing them to attack strategic targets such as the enemy's early warning aircraft. phuong, "commented US-based Military Watch.

Washington has long sought to force Cairo to depend on Western supplies of weapons, while limiting Egypt's combat capability to maintain a balance of power in the Middle East. The US has prevented France from equipping Scalp cruise missiles with Egypt's modern Rafale squadron.

The policy has been backed by former President Anwar Sadat since the 1970s, despite opposition from military officials. However, the government of President Al Sisi now wants to increase independence in defense, in order to build forces on par with neighboring countries.

S-300V4 long-range air defense missile contracts and proposals to order T-90 main battle tanks from Russia are also part of Egypt's ambitious plan. US officials have claimed that Egypt's interest in Russian arms purchases is small, but Washington's list of military equipment that has agreed to be exported to Cairo and Moscow arms offers represents a completely different situation.

"The United States will not be able to provide Egypt with advanced weapons of equal quality to the Su-35S, or even modern missiles to equip its outdated fighter squadrons." , an article in Military Watch had a paragraph, but a warning of Egypt's fragile economy could force it to accept US requests to avoid sanctions.