The United States has given the green light to sell 48 F-35 stealth warplanes to Saudi Arabia in a deal worth $24.3 billion, the State Department announced on Thursday.
The sale marks the kingdom’s latest major weapons purchase since the Iran war began earlier this year.
Saudi Arabia has wanted to buy F-35s for years, but Israel – the only Middle Eastern country that currently operates the advanced jets – has raised concerns about selling them to Riyadh. This comes despite efforts to push Saudi Arabia towards normalising relations with Israel.
The State Department said the sale will help Saudi Arabia defend itself against current and future threats while improving cooperation with American forces.
“The proposed sale will improve Saudi Arabia’s capability to deter current and future threats by strengthening its homeland defence, and improving interoperability with US forces,” the department said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia welcomes the deal
The Saudi embassy in Washington welcomed the transaction, calling it proof of the strong relationship between the two countries.
The embassy said security cooperation between Washington and Riyadh “has contributed to regional stability, strengthened our collective defence capabilities, and advanced our shared security interests.”
Iranian forces have repeatedly targeted Saudi Arabia with drone and missile strikes since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran in February. The kingdom has also faced attacks from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Yemen’s civil war had been quiet for years, but fighting between Houthis and the internationally recognised, Saudi-backed government started again in July. The rebels declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and have targeted its ships in the Red Sea.
Washington has not directly joined the conflict, but an American military task force is helping Saudi forces with intelligence sharing and planning assistance, according to a US official earlier this week.
Congress must still approve the sale
The State Department has told Congress about the proposed sale, which needs approval from lawmakers before it can go ahead. The department did not say when the jets would be delivered if the deal gets the go-ahead.
The F-35 sale “will not alter the military balance in the region,” the State Department said, following longstanding US policy that Israel must maintain a military edge over potential regional rivals.
Washington has only allowed F-35 sales to its closest allies so far, including several European NATO members and Israel.
The United States kicked Turkey out of the F-35 programme in 2019 after Ankara bought a Russian air defence system, raising fears that Moscow could get access to the plane’s technology.
Espionage concerns could derail the deal
Washington also worries about potential Chinese spying related to the jets.
The New York Times reported this week that US intelligence analysts have warned that Beijing could acquire F-35 technology through its partnerships with Riyadh.
US Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee, said he opposes the sale for this reason.
The sale 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,” Krishnamoorthi said in a statement.
The F-35 sale is the latest in a series of major arms purchases by Saudi Arabia this year.
The State Department approved a $5 billion sale of more than 10 000 bombs – including highly destructive 2 000-pound weapons – to Riyadh earlier in September.
Washington also approved the sale of 60 tank engines and related equipment to Saudi Arabia for $750 million this month, and a $1.96 billion deal in July for the kingdom to buy guidance sections that can turn rockets into precision weapons.
