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The Trump administration has formally moved to sell 48 F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia in a deal worth an estimated $24.3 billion.
Getting into it: The State Department announced the sale Thursday and sent formal notice to Congress. The package covers the 48 Lockheed Martin-built jets plus a spare engine. If it goes through, the kingdom would become the only Arab country with the F-35, though production and delivery would take years.
According to the State Department, “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 department added, “The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the military balance in the region.”
The approval landed a day after The New York Times reported that US intelligence agencies have flagged the risk of China getting access to the jet’s technology through its growing military ties with Riyadh. A Defense Intelligence Agency report raised doubts about whether sites housing F-35 technology could be secured, pointing to Chinese military personnel having access to Saudi bases and the kingdom’s heavy use of Chinese tech in its telecom networks and defense facilities. China has also sold Saudi Arabia ballistic missiles and helped it learn to build them.
Congress has 30 days to review the deal, but blocking it would take a joint resolution of disapproval, and overriding a veto would require two-thirds support in both chambers. With the House out until November and the Senate about to leave, any attempt is almost certain to fail.
The approval comes as Israel reportedly prepares to ask the US for “compensation” in the form of weapons the US has so far refused to sell it, according to Israeli outlet Walla, which cited an unnamed Israeli official, the list reportedly includes bunker-busting munitions, autonomous strike systems, drone swarms, and a role in developing classified US weapons programs, including space-based systems.
