Saudi Arabia’s pursuit of the F-35 stealth fighter hinges on U.S. approval and Israeli consent—potentially linking advanced arms sales to broader Middle East diplomacy and the normalization of Israeli-Saudi ties.
On Tuesday, as part of his trip to the Middle East, President Donald Trump signed a deal with Saudi Arabia that will see the kingdom purchase nearly $142 billion in military hardware from more than a dozen different U.S. defense contractors. The deal, lauded by the White House as the “largest defense sale agreement in history,” could include the sale of various weapons to the Middle Eastern nation.
“The sales that we intend to complete fall into five broad categories: air force advancement and space capabilities, air and missile defense, maritime and coastal security, border security and land forces modernization, and information and communication systems upgrades,” the White House said in a statement.
The deal also calls for the United States to provide “extensive training and support to build the capacity of the Saudi armed forces, including enhancement of Saudi service academies and military medical services,” along with “a significant investment in Saudi Arabia’s defense and regional security,” which would be built on “American systems and training.”
Saudi Arabia remains the largest buyer of U.S. arms and has sought to close several deals, including for the AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles approved earlier this month. In contrast, the U.S. State Department approved the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems (APKWS) sale in March.
It is unclear if those deals, valued at $3.5 billion and nearly $100 million respectively, were part of the newly announced arms package.
Will Buying the F-35 Normalize Relations Between Saudi Arabia and Israel?
The White House did not note the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II as being among the requested hardware that Riyadh has sought to acquire.
Still, Saudi Arabia has long desired to operate the fifth-generation stealth fighter, which would provide it with far greater capabilities than those of regional rival Iran.
There have been rumors that the Islamic Republic has been considering acquiring the Russian-made Sukhoi Su-57, which could significantly change the dynamics in the Middle East. One of Russia’s export model Su-57Es landed in Iran while returning from an Indian air show in February, leading to speculation it was being pitched to Tehran.
However, the official story was that it suffered mechanical issues.
The biggest roadblock to Riyadh obtaining the F-35 wouldn’t be Iran but instead Israel. During Trump’s first term, the White House sought to sell the F-35 Lightning II to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after the Middle Eastern nation formalized relations with Israel as part of the Abraham Accords. Israel initially opposed the Arab nation’s acquisition of the fifth-generation stealth fighter but later withdrew its objections.
The Jewish state’s security doctrine has long prioritized qualitative superiority over neighbors and possible rivals. As a nation surrounded by potentially hostile adversaries, Israel must acknowledge that today’s friends could be tomorrow’s enemies, with Iran being such an example.
To that end, Israel even operates a variant of the aircraft, the F-35I Adir, which is outfitted with an Israeli-developed electronic warfare system (EWS), including sensors and countermeasures, built on top of the U.S. systems. Israeli Air Force (IAF) pilots also utilize a locally developed helmet-mounted display and bespoke datalink functionality specific to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
At the same time, other enhancements further improved the F-35’s already-potent data gathering and processing capabilities.
The F-35 could be a carrot for Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel. Still, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s principal decision-maker, has made clear that no deal will happen until the war in Gaza is settled. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also remained opposed to a Palestinian state, so the issue for Riyadh may come down to what matters more, and that could be the F-35.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
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