China-US-Russia rivalry for Middle East stealth fighter sales on show in Dubai

An angular F-35 fighter jet penetrates the bright blue sky over a dusty desert, its engines roaring as it goes through a series of high-speed, gravity-defying turns and high-G manoeuvres before disappearing over the horizon.

About an hour later, another aircraft appears, this time a Russian Su-57 with a blended-wing design and slightly deeper engine noise that also displays its aerobatics and speed, showcasing its supersonic cruising ability before returning to the runway.

These two flights on the opening day of the Dubai Air Show in the United Arab Emirates on Monday marked the first time that American and Russian fifth-generation fighter jets have appeared at the same event.

Also on show was China’s fifth-generation J-35, in a static display at the booth of state-owned defence giant China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (Catic).

Analysts said the presence at the air show of the only three countries producing and delivering stealth jets to their own air forces showed how competition for the Middle East market had heated up.