Key Points and Summary – The Trump Administration is weighing Saudi Arabia’s request to buy up to 48 F-35s—an unprecedented shift that edges past a key Pentagon review but still needs Cabinet, White House, and congressional approval.
-The move would test Washington’s pledge to preserve Israel’s qualitative military edge and revive debate over Riyadh’s human-rights record and security ties with China and Russia.
U.S. Air Force Airmen load a munition onto an F-35 Lightning II in preparation to conduct a scenario during Checkered Flag 24-1 at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, Nov. 1, 2023. Checkered Flag is a large-force aerial exercise held at Tyndall Air Force Base which fosters readiness and interoperability through the incorporation of 4th and 5th-generation aircraft during air-to-air combat training. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jake Carter)
-Israel, the region’s sole F-35 operator, warns the sale without normalization could erode its deterrence.
-Supporters cite counter-Iran alignment and a broader defense pact; critics foresee tech-leak risks and political blowback. The crown prince’s upcoming Washington visit could shape the next steps.
Saudi Arabia: About to Buy F-35 Stealth Fighters?
There was a time, not very long ago, when it would have been inconceivable for the United States to approve the sale of stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.
However, such a deal is now one step closer to reality.
According to Reuters, the Trump Administration is considering a request by the Saudis to purchase as many as 48 F-35 fighter jets. The deal has “cleared a key Pentagon hurdle,” ahead of a visit to Washington later this month by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler.
Saudi Arabia is currently the largest recipient of U.S. arms.
The deal, Reuters said, “would mark a significant policy shift, potentially altering the military balance in the Middle East and testing Washington’s definition of maintaining Israel’s ‘qualitative military edge.'” Israel is currently the only country in the Middle East with access to the F-35.
F-35I Adir High in the Sky. Image Credit: IDF/Creative Commons.
F-35I Adir Fighter. Image Credit: Israeli Air Force.
F-35I Adir. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The possible deal has been under consideration at the Pentagon’s policy department, and the next step is to forward it to the Secretary level.
The sale of the jets is not final, Reuters said, with two officials telling the news agency that “no final decision has been made and several more steps are needed before the ultimate nod, including further approvals at the Cabinet level, sign-off from Trump, and notification of Congress.”
The Saudis had “long been interested” in the fighter jet, and had appealed to Trump earlier this year, the report said.
A Controversial Sale
The deal, if it goes through, would be controversial for several reasons. The US, especially in the early days of the Biden Administration, sought to keep the Saudis at arm’s length, citing the kingdom’s human rights record, and specifically the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who lived in the United States.
The Biden Administration later softened its stance toward the Saudis, and at one point considered selling F-35s to Saudi Arabia as part of a larger proposed deal that would have included the normalization of relations between the Saudis and Israel. However, no such deal ever came to fruition, with such efforts especially taking a backseat after the October 7 attacks in 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the second Trump Administration has moved even closer to the kingdom, with President Trump making Riyadh the first foreign visit of his second term in May. During that visit, Trump agreed to a $142 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia.
The View From Israel
Complicating things with such a deal, especially, is the potential reaction of US ally Israel.
According to an analysis published Wednesday in the Jerusalem Post, if the U.S. agrees to sell the F-35s to the Saudis, without conditioning the sale on normalization with Israel, it “could signal a geopolitical and security earthquake in the Middle East.”
As noted by the Jerusalem Post’s Yonah Jeremy Bob, the US has, up until now, only made the F-35 fighter jet available to democracies. The 19 allied countries that currently operate the F-35 are mostly NATO members in Europe, as well as South Korea, Israel, Japan, and Australia. All, however, are democracies, while Saudi Arabia is a monarchy. There was talk a few years ago about the U.S. selling F-35s to the United Arab Emirates, another U.S. ally in the Middle East that is not a democracy, but that never happened, either.
“No country with even a hint of military hostility to Israel or any potential ally of Iran has been sold the aircraft,” the Post article said. Bob added that Turkey was removed from the program of potential F-35 buyers when it agreed to purchase Russia’s S-400 anti-aircraft missile system.
Bob pointed at the role F-35s played in Israel’s recent campaign against Iran.
The F-35, Bob writes, “allows Israel to run circles around Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, the Yemen Houthis, and Hamas’s air defenses. It is the largest reason why the Jewish state succeeded at setting back the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program by two years and achieved another unprecedented achievement against the ayatollahs.”
And while Israel and the Saudis are in some ways aligned, in a “unspoken and unofficial Middle East security alliance” that also includes additional Sunni countries that are opposed to Iran, it would be wrong to consider Israel and Saudi Arabia full-on allies.
The Saudis, Bob writes, have “flirted with alliances with Russia and China,” and even announced in 2023 that they have normalized relations with Iran.
“If Riyadh gets the F-35 and shares the technology with Russia, China, or Iran, Israel’s qualitative edge over Tehran could be compromised, and it could also face other issues with Beijing and Moscow, which currently have a deep respect for Israel’s military,” Bob says. Israel might have been willing to “swallow” the UAE buying the F-35s, since they had normalized relations with Israel as part of the Abraham Accords, but the Saudis have not.
“The next steps on the F-35 issue and Saudi normalization will be pivotal,” Bob writes. “Giving the F-35 to the Saudis could create serious risks to Israeli security for the future. But giving the F-35 to Riyadh with Israel missing its chance at normalization, or at least losing the issue as leverage, would be far worse.”
Political Considerations
Another potential hurdle is a political backlash within the United States, whether from Democrats in Congress drawing attention to the Khashoggi killing and other past misdeeds by the Saudis, or pro-Israel Americans, objecting to Israel losing its monopoly on the F-35 among countries in the Middle East.
There is likely to be some clarity by November ’18, when Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman arrives in Washington for his first visit to the US in seven years.
While Trump is pushing for Israel/Saudi normalization by year’s end, multiple reports suggest that it is unlikely.
“Normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel could take years, not months,” YNetNews reported. “The visit, scheduled for mid-month, will focus on negotiating a mutual defense agreement similar to the unprecedented security guarantee Trump granted Qatar following Israel’s failed strike in Doha and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s subsequent public apology to Qatari officials.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
More Military
Northrop Grumman Is Likely Winner of F/A-XX, But Big Questions Remain
USS United States: The Aircraft Carrier Designed to Launch Bombers
The U.S. Air Force’s B-21 Raider Bomber Nightmare Has Just Begun
How Long Can a Nuclear U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Stay in Service?
The Air Force’s B-52 Stratofortress Bomber ‘Nightmare’ Is Real
