US Approves Potential $24.3 Billion F-35 Fighter Jet Sale to Saudi Arabia

The United States has approved a potential $24.3 billion sale of F-35 Lightning II fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, as Riyadh faces growing security threats across the Middle East.

The proposed sale, which is subject to congressional review before it can proceed, includes 48 F-35 Lightning II aircraft, 49 Pratt & Whitney F135 engines, secure communications systems, precision navigation, and software.

The U.S. State Department said in a Sept. 17 statement that Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and Pratt & Whitney Military Engines will be the main contractors for the deal.

The United States designated Saudi Arabia a major non-NATO ally in January. The status grants countries certain U.S. defense and security cooperation benefits but does not commit Washington to their 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 department said on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia has been drawn deeper into fighting with the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen.

Over the past week, Saudi authorities said the Houthis launched attacks on the kingdom’s civilian areas and energy infrastructure, while the Houthis said they had targeted Saudi military facilities and aircraft.

During the opening weeks of the Iran conflict, Tehran carried out missile and drone attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia, including the Prince Sultan Air Base in Al Kharj and the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh.

Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky, died on March 8 from wounds sustained during a March 1 attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base, the Pentagon said on March 9. He was assigned to the First Space Battalion, First Space Brigade at Fort Carson, Colorado.

Saudi Arabia on Thursday welcomed Washington’s decision, describing it as another sign of the countries’ long-standing strategic partnership.

“For decades, Saudi-U.S. security cooperation has contributed to regional stability, strengthened our collective defense capabilities, and advanced our shared security interests,” the Saudi Embassy in Washington said in a Sept. 18 post on X.

Regional Military Balance

U.S. officials said the deal would improve Saudi Arabia’s ability to deter current and future threats and would not change the region’s military balance.

Israel is currently the only country in the Middle East operating the F-35.

The United States has made longstanding commitments to Israel’s security, including the preservation of its qualitative military edge in the region, effectively guaranteeing that Israel gets more advanced US weapons than regional Arab states.

Under a 10-year memorandum of understanding covering 2019 through 2028, Washington committed to providing Israel with $3.3 billion annually in Foreign Military Financing and $500 million each year for cooperative missile defense programs.

Israel had not publicly commented on the proposed sale at the time of publication.

Defense Deals

The F-35 proposed package follows other major defense commitments by Washington to Gulf allies in recent years.

During President Donald Trump’s first-term visit to Riyadh in May 2017, the White House announced a deal for U.S. companies to sell arms to Saudi Arabia worth about $110 billion.

In May 2025, the two countries finalized a deal for Saudi Arabia to purchase nearly $142 billion in new weapons, military equipment, and training support.  

Earlier this month, the State Department approved a potential $5 billion sale of Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range bomb kits to Saudi Arabia.

In a separate notification issued the same day, it approved the possible sale of 60 AGT-1500 tank engines and related equipment valued at $750 million.

Washington has approved several major defense sales in the region, including a proposed $4.01 billion Patriot air defense sustainment package for Qatar, a $2.5 billion Integrated Battle Command System for Kuwait, and a $147.6 million Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System package for the United Arab Emirates.

Both Qatar and Kuwait are also designated Washington’s major non-NATO allies. The UAE is not, but is a party to the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords, a series of normalization agreements between Israel and Arab states.

Jackson Richman and Reuters contributed to this report.