Despite opposition and concerns, the U.S. will move forward with the sale of F-35 stealth fighters to equip the Royal Saudi Air Force

In what would constitute an important development for the balance of power in the Middle East, the U.S. will finally move forward with the sale of F-35 stealth fighters to equip the Royal Saudi Air Force, in what would be an operation for up to 48 aircraft in total. The decision was made public by President Donald Trump himself during a press briefing held in the Oval Office of the White House, where he stated, “That’s what we’ll do. We will sell them F-35s,” with a unit cost of around 100 million dollars.

It is important to highlight in this regard that the statements by the U.S. president came on the eve of an official visit by Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, to the White House, where he is expected to be received with a major ceremonial welcome that will include a reception and gala dinner for the occasion. In this way, the path appears to be cleared for a potential announcement that would put an end to Riyadh’s long search for a stealth fighter, something that, according to local reports, would allow for closer ties between the countries at a time when Washington seeks to expand the so-called Abraham Accords.

It should be recalled, however, that the U.S. Congress could still exercise its ability to block the export licenses for the fighters manufactured by Lockheed Martin to the Arab country—something that seems unlikely but remains a possibility. Among the more critical positions regarding a potential agreement are those who argue that the sale of the F-35 would undermine Israel’s advantageous position in terms of military technology in the region, the differential factor that guarantees its security in moments of heightened tension. Nevertheless, for the Trump administration, Saudi Arabia qualifies as “a great ally” of the United States in the Middle East, and the operation would move forward regardless.

For now, sources in Washington familiar with the matter indicated that the sale of the fighters in question to Riyadh already has the green light from the Pentagon, as the Arab country would have passed the necessary technical and internal security evaluations for it to proceed. Moreover, it is an initiative that had already been under consideration during the Democratic administration of former president Joe Biden, aiming to contribute to diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia in the same way the current Republican administration seeks to do; the talks at that time had been left in a suspended state but reflect that the initiative would have support on both sides of the political spectrum.

Finally, it should be mentioned that this operation would allow the Royal Saudi Air Force to expand what is already a wide array of fighters, a lineup currently composed mainly of the F-15SA and F-15E, Eurofighter Typhoon, and Tornado IDS models. The latter are the ones the service seeks to replace in order to modernize, which is why the incorporation of two squadrons of the fifth-generation fighter is expected, representing a major leap in capability.

*Cover image: Tech. Sgt. Justin Norton

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