State Department OKs potential $24B fighter jet sale to Saudis
The proposed sale would expand Saudi Arabia’s fifth-generation fleet and trigger a 30-day congressional review as lawmakers weigh China-related security concerns.
- On Thursday, the State Department approved a potential $24.3 billion sale of 48 Lockheed Martin-made F-35s to Saudi Arabia, making the kingdom the first Arab country to purchase the advanced fighter jets.
- President Trump promised the sale before Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed's November White House visit, though the proposal must still undergo a mandatory 30-day review by Congress before finalization.
- The State Department said the sale "supports the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States" by improving security for a major non-NATO ally in the Gulf region.
- Jonathan Ruhe, a fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, called the deal "a categorically bad idea" without guardrails on Riyadh's military cooperation with China.
- While Israel did not strongly object to the F-35 sale, concerns about Chinese spying persist, echoing a failed UAE deal during Trump's first term that collapsed over similar security fears.
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The interest in F-35 fighter jets is huge. Not only Germany expects the cover-cap jets to be delivered from the USA - Saudi Arabia is planning a billion-dollar purchase, too. US allies Israel should not enjoy this.
The US State Department said on Thursday that the United States has approved the sale of 48 F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia for $24.3 billion (€21.2 billion).
US moves ahead with $24.3 billion F-35 sale to Saudi Arabia despite China concerns
The deal would give Saudi Arabia a fleet of 48 F-35s, comparable in size to Israel's 50, testing Washington's longstanding pledge to preserve Israel's "qualitative military edge" in the region
Dnevni list Danas
n1info.rsThe US State Department has announced that it has approved the potential sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia worth $24.3 billion.
US approves potential $24 billion sale of F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia
By Laura Sharman, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration said Thursday it has approved a potential multi-billion dollar sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, bolstering the Gulf ally’s military capacity amid the threat of an expanding war in the Middle East. The US State Department announced the proposed sale of the Lightning II
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