F-35 Sale To Saudi Arabia Approved By State Department

Published Sep 17, 2026 3:14 PM EDT

The U.S. State Department today approved the possible sale of 48 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The proposed deal, worth an estimated total cost of $24.3 billion, was announced as the Kingdom is in the midst of a fierce fight against the Houthi rebels of Yemen. It marks a major policy shift , with Washington previously being unwilling to export the advanced stealth fighters to Arab states and will likely serve as a reminder at a very challenging time for the Saudis of the unique security capabilities the U.S. can only provide them.

In addition to the jets, which will be conventional takeoff and landing variants, Saudi Arabia has requested 49 Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 engines, support and other items.

Despite concerns from Israel that providing Saudi Arabia with the advanced fighters will tip the balance of power in the region, the proposed sale of this equipment and support “will not alter the military balance in the region,” the State Department noted.

The United States has a requirement to maintain Israel’s so-called qualitative military edge, which essentially guarantees that Israel will be prioritized for advanced U.S. weapons ahead of Arab states in the region. Among these advanced weapons, the stealthy F-35 is highly prominent.

You can read our past feature about the wide-ranging impacts of an F-35 sale to Saudi Arabia here .

Israeli Air Force F-35i fighters. (Israeli Air Force)

“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 State Department wrote. “The proposed sale will improve Saudi Arabia’s capability to deter current and future threats by strengthening its homeland defense, and improving interoperability with U.S. forces, and other regional and NATO forces. The proposed sale will also augment Saudi Arabia’s operational aircraft and enhance its air-to-air, and air-to-ground self-defense capability. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment and services into its armed forces.”

In November, “President Trump approved a major defense sale package, including future F-35 deliveries, which strengthens the U.S. defense industrial base and ensures Saudi Arabia continues to buy American,” according to the White House .

Trump has pushed for closer ties between the Israel and Saudi Arabia and wants the Kingdom to joint the Abraham Accords initiative. This is a set of agreements that establish normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and different Arab states. Doing so would be a major breakthrough, following the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and others.

A Saudi F-35 deal was also discussed under the Biden administration, as part of a broader deal that sought to normalize the Kingdom’s relations with Israel.

This is a developing story.

Contact the author: howard@twz.com

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发布于美国东部时间2026年9月17日下午3:14

美国国务院今天批准了向沙特阿拉伯王国出售 48 架 F-35 闪电 II 联合攻击战斗机的可能性。

这项总价值约243亿美元的拟议交易，正值沙特阿拉伯王国与也门胡塞武装进行激烈战斗之际宣布。这标志着一项重大的政策转变，此前华盛顿一直不愿向阿拉伯国家出口先进的隐形战斗机。在沙特阿拉伯面临严峻挑战的当下，这项交易很可能提醒沙特，只有美国才能提供其独特的安全保障能力。

除了常规起降型喷气式飞机外，沙特阿拉伯还要求提供 49 台普惠 F135-PW-100 发动机、支持和其他物品。

尽管以色列担心向沙特阿拉伯提供先进战斗机将打破该地区的权力平衡，但美国国务院指出，拟议的这笔装备和支持的出售“不会改变该地区的军事平衡”。

美国有义务维持以色列所谓的“质量军事优势”，这实际上保证了以色列在获得美国先进武器方面将优先于该地区的阿拉伯国家。在这些先进武器中，隐形F-35战斗机尤为引人注目。

您可以点击此处阅读我们之前关于向沙特阿拉伯出售F-35战斗机所产生的广泛影响的专题报道。

以色列空军F-35i战斗机。（以色列空军）

美国国务院在声明中表示：“此次拟议军售将通过提升一个重要的非北约盟友的安全，支持美国的外交政策和国家安全目标。该盟友是海湾地区政治稳定和经济发展的重要力量。此次拟议军售将通过加强沙特阿拉伯的国土防御，并提高其与美军以及其他地区和北约部队的互操作性，增强其应对当前和未来威胁的能力。此外，此次拟议军售还将扩充沙特阿拉伯的作战飞机，并提升其空对空和空对地自卫能力。沙特阿拉伯王国完全能够顺利地将这些装备和服务整合到其武装部队中。”

据白宫称，11 月，“特朗普总统批准了一项重大国防销售方案，其中包括未来的 F-35 交付，这将加强美国国防工业基础，并确保沙特阿拉伯继续购买美国产品。”

特朗普一直推动以色列与沙特阿拉伯建立更紧密的关系，并希望沙特加入《亚伯拉罕协议》。该协议旨在建立以色列与多个阿拉伯国家之间的正常化外交关系。继阿联酋、巴林、摩洛哥等国之后，沙特若加入《亚伯拉罕协议》，将是一项重大突破。

拜登政府时期也曾讨论过沙特阿拉伯购买 F-35 战斗机的交易，这是旨在使沙特与以色列关系正常化的更广泛协议的一部分。

这是一个正在发展中的新闻。

联系作者：howard@twz.com

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