The Trump administration is considering Saudi Arabia’s request to buy up to 48 F-35 fighter jets in a potentially multibillion-dollar deal and has cleared a key Pentagon hurdle ahead of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit, two people familiar with the matter said.
The sale marks a significant policy shift that could change the military balance in the Middle East and test Washington’s definition of maintaining Israel’s “qualitative military superiority.”
Saudi Arabia has long had an interest in Lockheed Martin’s fighter jets, one of the people and a U.S. government official said, appealing directly to U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this year. The Pentagon is currently considering the possibility of selling 48 of its state-of-the-art aircraft, U.S. officials and people familiar with the discussions told Reuters. The size of the request and its status were previously not reported.
The U.S. official and another U.S. official acknowledged that arms deals are progressing within the system, but said no final decisions have been made and that several more steps are needed before a final agreement is reached, including further cabinet-level approvals, President Trump’s approval, and notification to Congress.
One of the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Pentagon’s policy division had been studying the potential deal for months and that the matter had now progressed to the Pentagon’s secretary level.
The Pentagon, White House and State Department did not respond to requests for comment. A Lockheed Martin spokesperson said military sales are government-to-government transactions and the issue is best handled by the U.S. government.
RHM/