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# Trump Administration Approves $24.3 Billion Saudi Fighter Jet Sale
- URL: https://www.theglobalvoice.com/trump-administration-approves-24-3-billion-saudi-fighter-jet-sale/
- Published: 2026-09-18T04:06:58.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-19T04:59:54.000Z
- Description: The US State Department has approved a potential $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 stealth fighters and 49 engines to Saudi Arabia. The deal still needs congressional approval and could reshape Gulf air power while testing Washington’s commitment to preserving Israel’s military edge.
- Author: TGV Desk
- Tags: middle-east, politics, The Day So Far, Top Stories, conflict, asia, has-audio

The United States has approved a potential $24.3 billion sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, clearing a major hurdle in Riyadh’s years-long effort to acquire one of America’s most advanced combat aircraft.

The [US State Department approved a package covering 48 F-35 Lightning II](https://www.state.gov/releases/bureau-of-political-military-affairs/2026/09/kingdom-of-saudi-arabia-f-35-lightning-ii-joint-strike-fighter-aircraft?ref=theglobalvoice.com) fighters, 49 Pratt & Whitney engines, secure communications equipment, spare parts and other support systems. The proposed sale still requires congressional approval before it can proceed. If completed, it would give Saudi Arabia enough aircraft for roughly two squadrons and mark a significant expansion of its air combat capabilities.

> The proposed F-35 sale reflects the strength and enduring nature of the Saudi-U.S. strategic partnership and the continued advancement of our defense cooperation.  
>  
> For decades, Saudi-U.S. security cooperation has contributed to regional stability, strengthened our collective… [https://t.co/IOurlYEcbl](https://t.co/IOurlYEcbl?ref=theglobalvoice.com)
> 
> — Saudi Embassy USA (@SaudiEmbassyUSA) [September 18, 2026](https://x.com/SaudiEmbassyUSA/status/2100754250145935543?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=theglobalvoice.com)

Saudi Arabia has sought access to the F-35 for years as part of a broader effort to modernise an air force that currently operates US-made F-15s alongside European Typhoons and Tornados. Riyadh made a direct request for the aircraft to President Donald Trump in early 2025\. The Saudi embassy in Washington welcomed the latest approval, saying it reflected the strength of the defence relationship between the two countries.

The timing is particularly significant. Saudi Arabia is dealing with a sharp deterioration in regional security as [Yemen’s Houthis intensify drone and missile ](https://www.theglobalvoice.com/mecca-put-on-alert-as-saudi-arabia-intercepts-houthi-drone/)attacks on the kingdom and threaten shipping and oil infrastructure around the Red Sea. Saudi air defences have been under increasing pressure, while the wider US-Iran conflict has strained regional missile-defence stocks and complicated Riyadh’s security calculations.

The F-35’s stealth design allows it to operate with a much lower radar signature than conventional fighters, while its sensors and networking systems give it a major advantage in detecting and striking targets. Israel is currently the only country in the Middle East operating the aircraft and has built multiple F-35 squadrons over the past decade.

That makes the Saudi proposal politically sensitive. US law and longstanding policy require Washington to consider Israel’s “qualitative military edge” when approving advanced weapons sales in the region. A Saudi F-35 fleet would therefore raise questions over what configuration Riyadh would receive and whether Israel would be offered additional capabilities to preserve its technological advantage. Sources describe the sale as a potential test of how Washington now defines that commitment.

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Congress could still complicate the deal. Lawmakers have previously raised concerns about major weapons sales to Saudi Arabia over human rights, regional conflicts and the 2018 killing of journalist [Jamal Khashoggi](https://www.theglobalvoice.com/the-sacrificial-animal-the-killing-of-jamal-khashoggi/). The proposed F-35 sale will now come under similar scrutiny before it can be finalised.

The package is also part of a much larger defence relationship. In 2025, the Trump administration announced a nearly $142 billion arms package with Saudi Arabia, describing it as the largest defence cooperation agreement Washington had ever concluded.

For Riyadh, however, the F-35 would be different from almost every other purchase. It would move Saudi Arabia into a much smaller group of countries operating America’s premier stealth fighter and could significantly alter the military balance in the Gulf at a time when the region is already undergoing its most serious security upheaval in years.