ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The US State Department on Thursday announced the approval of the sale of 48 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft to Saudi Arabia for an estimated cost of $24.3 billion, saying that the acquisition will enhance Riyadh's ability "to deter current and future threats by strengthening its homeland defense."
"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major non-NATO ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Gulf region," the State Department said in a statement.
"The proposed sale will also augment Saudi Arabia’s operational aircraft and enhance its air-to-air, and air-to-ground self-defense capability."
One of the most advanced fighter jets in the world, the US is often guarded when approving the Lockheed Martin aircraft's export to other countries, with a prospective sale to Turkey having been scuppered after Ankara opted to acquire the Russian S-400 air defense systems, the delivery of which in 2019 led Washington to abort the Turkish program over fears that the technology would fall into Russian hands.
Currently, the only country in the Middle East to operate the platform is Israel, which has repeatedly made clear that the airframe is key to maintaining its regional power status.
"The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the military balance in the region," the State Department affirmed.
US President Donald Trump has proved keen to export the fifth-generation jets despite concerns in Congress. In July, he said that he "will consider" restarting the deal with Turkey, and the Trump administration has brushed off concerns raised by Democratic lawmakers that the Saudi sale could result in China garnering valubale intelligence regarding the jet's high-tech avionics as a result of Riyadh's warming relationship with Beijing.
"It could put the crown jewels of American military technology within reach of the Chinese Communist Party," US Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi said on Thursday.
The Saudi embassy in Washington hailed the approval as reflective of "the strength and enduring nature of the Saudi-US strategic partnership," which it said has "contributed to regional stability, strengthened our collective defense capabilities, and advanced our shared security interests."
The Royal Saudi Air Force currently operates hundreds of fourth-generation US F-15 fighter jets. On Wednesday, Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed to have shot down one such Saudi aircraft engaged in military operations over Yemeni airspace, later sharing images of Houthi fighters standing above the wreckage of the jet.
Despite substantial funding and a wide array of advanced technology, the Saudi military proved unable to decisively defeat the Iran-backed group during the Yemeni Civil War of the 2010s, and faced stark international criticism for the civilian casualties caused by its airstrikes.
After the renewal of hostilities in its southern neighbor in July, Riyadh's Yemeni allies have lost large swathes of western coastal territory to the rebels, who now regularly launch drone strikes on oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and enforce a blockade of Saudi transit in the southern Red Sea.
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