WASHINGTON (Realist English). President Donald Trump said Monday the United States will sell F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, signaling a major expansion of defence ties with the kingdom just days before Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrives in Washington.
“I am planning on doing that. They want to buy. They have been a great ally,” Trump told reporters when asked about the proposed sale. “We will be selling F-35s.”
The announcement strengthens a defence partnership already worth $142bn in deals unveiled during Trump’s 2023 visit to Riyadh. Earlier reporting by Middle East Eye and Reuters suggested the agreement could include up to 48 F-35s, the US military’s most advanced combat aircraft.
Israel opposed; Washington uneasy
The move sidesteps long-standing objections from Israel, which has resisted any sale of F-35s to Arab states without political concessions from Riyadh. Some in Washington hoped the jets could be used as leverage to secure Saudi-Israeli normalisation — something the kingdom refused to discuss ahead of Trump’s May visit.
Despite Trump’s repeated claims that Saudi Arabia will normalise ties with Israel “before the end of the year,” Arab and Western diplomats say Riyadh remains no closer to reopening negotiations.
US defence and intelligence officials have also warned that the sale poses a security risk, citing Saudi Arabia’s growing ties with China. Beijing is the kingdom’s largest oil customer, and has previously supplied missile technology to Riyadh. Chinese telecom giant Huawei is deeply embedded in Saudi 5G infrastructure, raising concerns about potential exposure of US military technology.
Experts say the US can downgrade the jets’ systems or include remote-disable “kill switches,” but Saudi Arabia is expected to push for maximum capability.
A discerning buyer with global leverage
Analysts note that Saudi Arabia — despite lower oil revenues and budget constraints — remains one of the few major economies with the liquidity to purchase high-end US systems. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is also demanding more value for money as he reshapes the kingdom’s economy through Vision 2030.
Riyadh is shifting investment priorities amid falling oil prices, scaling back ambitions for the 170km-long ‘Line’ project in NEOM and cutting stakes in major US companies. The Public Investment Fund recently sold large holdings in Cummins, Linde, Avery Dimension and earlier trimmed positions in Meta, PayPal and FedEx.
Still, the crown prince wants top-tier US weaponry. In the 1990s, Washington sold Saudi Arabia downgraded F-15s to preserve Israel’s qualitative military edge. This time, analysts such as Richard Aboulafia say Israel’s concerns can likely be managed through customised technological restrictions.
Strategic timing
For Trump, the F-35 sale strengthens ties with a crucial regional partner as Washington faces strategic competition with China and strained relations with European and Asian allies.
Saudi officials view the purchase as part of a broader effort to modernise the kingdom’s military while expanding tourism, critical-minerals processing and even a civilian nuclear programme.
Whether the sale proceeds at full capability — and without Israeli conditions — will depend on the terms finalised during the crown prince’s visit this week.
