The US State Department approved a $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, the State Department said Thursday.
Israel is currently the only country in the Middle East to operate the jets. The State Department said the deal would improve the kingdom’s capability to deter current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defence, and augment its air-to-air and air-to-ground self-defence capability.
The department has notified Congress of the proposed sale, which requires the approval of US lawmakers. No time frame was given for delivery of the jets.
The sale “will not alter the military balance in the region,” the State Department said, in line with long-standing US policy that Israel must retain a military edge over regional adversaries. Israeli officials have voiced concern over the sale to Riyadh, even as Washington pushes the kingdom to normalise relations with Israel.
The United States has so far restricted F-35 sales to its closest allies, including several European NATO members and Israel. Washington removed NATO member Turkey from the F-35 programme in 2019 after Ankara purchased a Russian air defence system, raising fears that Moscow could access the aircraft’s technology.
The deal also drew concerns over potential Chinese espionage. The New York Times reported this week that US intelligence analysts have raised the possibility that Beijing could obtain F-35 technology through its partnerships with Riyadh. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee, opposed the sale, saying it should not proceed “when our own intelligence community is warning that it could put the crown jewels of American military technology within reach of the Chinese Communist Party.”
The F-35 approval is the latest in a series of major Saudi arms purchases this year. The State Department earlier in September cleared a $5 billion sale of more than 10,000 bombs, including 2,000-pound weapons. Washington also approved the sale of 60 tank engines and related equipment worth $750 million this month, and a $1.96 billion deal in July for guidance sections that convert rockets into precision weapons.
Saudi Arabia has been targeted by drone and missile strikes from Tehran’s forces since the US and Israel launched their war against Iran in February, and has also been hit by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. A US official said earlier this week that an American military task force is working to enhance intelligence sharing and planning support for Saudi forces.