ALBAWABA- The United States has approved a potential $24.3 billion sale of F-35 fighter jets and related equipment to Saudi Arabia, the State Department announced Thursday, in a major proposed expansion of the kingdom’s advanced military capabilities amid escalating regional tensions.
The proposed Foreign Military Sale includes 48 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft and 49 Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 engines, including one spare, along with communications and cryptographic equipment, electronic-warfare support, spare parts, training systems, maintenance and logistics support. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and Pratt & Whitney would be the principal contractors.
During his visit to Washington in November 2025, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sought to advance the kingdom’s planned purchase of F-35 fighter jets.
The State Department said the proposed sale would support US foreign-policy and national-security objectives by strengthening the defense capabilities of a major US partner in the Gulf. It said the F-35s would improve Saudi Arabia’s ability to deter threats, strengthen interoperability with US and other partner forces, and expand its air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities.
The department also said the proposed sale would not alter the military balance in the region. The notification to Congress is part of the standard US process for major foreign military sales.
BREAKING: The US State Department has approved a possible $24.3bn sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, say media reports.Congressional scrutiny could pose challenges to the F-35 sale.🔴 More on https://t.co/OwhgaIH6vP pic.twitter.com/9PUDMC4780
The announcement comes as Saudi Arabia faces a renewed escalation with Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement. Houthi forces have launched repeated drones and missiles toward Saudi territory in recent days, while Saudi Arabia has carried out airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen. Saudi authorities said Thursday that one person was killed and two others injured in Taif after debris from an intercepted Houthi drone fell on the city.
The proposed F-35 sale comes against the broader backdrop of the escalating US-Iran conflict and disruptions to regional energy and shipping routes. Attacks on Saudi infrastructure have already affected the kingdom’s East-West oil pipeline, while reduced traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has added pressure to global energy markets.
Saudi Arabia has simultaneously sought to diversify its security partnerships while maintaining its longstanding defense relationship with Washington. In August, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a defense agreement in Mecca aimed at strengthening military cooperation and collective deterrence.
The F-35 deal has been discussed for years and was publicly signaled by President Donald Trump in 2025. The proposed purchase would give Saudi Arabia access to one of the United States’ most advanced combat aircraft and substantially expand the kingdom’s fifth-generation air capabilities.
Dr. Mansour Al-Maswari is Postdoctoral Fellow at Columbia University-Global Center, Amman. A Yemeni academician with a Ph.D. in English "Comparative Literature" and two MA degrees, one in political science and the other in English, Dr. Al-Maswari possesses more than 17 years of extensive experience in university-level teaching, research, research reviewing, bilingual translation, and copy-writing...
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