Danger Signal: Potential F-35 Sales to Saudis  

The United States government’s seeming willingness to consider the sale of 48 F-35 stealth equipped fighter jets to Saudi Arabia should frighten every one of us living in Israel as it should anyone who cares about the long-term stability of this region.

According to a report by Reuters and The Algemeiner, Saudi Arabia’s request to buy the F-35 jets has cleared a key Pentagon hurdle prior to overall approval for the purchase.

For the record, Saudi Arabia is the world’s biggest customer for US arms, and has sought the fighter jet for years as it looks to modernize its air force and counter regional threats, particularly from Iran. Rumor is that the Trump administration is eager to put this deal to bed in time for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Washington, now scheduled for November 18^th.

To put this in perspective, over the years the US has been consistent in ensuring that Israel maintains military superiority in this region and has traditionally limited the sale of its most advanced technology to countries other than Israel.  A sale now would mark a significant policy shift, potentially altering the military balance in the Middle East and testing Washington’s definition of maintaining Israel’s “qualitative military edge.”

Every US President has, at one time or another, been faced with requests by their Arab allies in the region to upgrade the capability levels of their various militaries.  Even the often-vilified former President Biden explored providing F-35s to Saudi Arabia but only as part of a comprehensive deal that would have included Riyadh normalizing relations with Israel.  As we know, those efforts ultimately stalled and no sale was ever completed.

The F-35, built with stealth technology that allows it to evade enemy detection, is considered the world’s most advanced fighter jet.  Israel has operated the aircraft for nearly a decade, building two full squadrons, and remains the only Middle Eastern country to possess this weapons system.

Research indicated that currently Israel has an operational fleet of approximately 45 F-35s. These aircraft are part of an initial order of 50 jets.  Israel has signed contracts for a total of 75 F-35 aircraft (known as F-35I “Adir” in Israel). A deal for an additional 25 jets, which will form a third squadron, was officially signed in June 2024. Deliveries from this new order are scheduled to begin in 2028.

The Saudi Air Force flies a mix of fighter aircraft including older and less technologically capable Boeing F-15s, as well as European Tornados and Typhoons.

Putting more advanced weaponry in the hands of the Saudi military, or any neighboring military for that matter, poses a clear potential threat to Israel and puts us in a potentially compromising position.

There is, as always, a diplomatic side to all of this as well.  Trump has made arms sales to Saudi Arabia a priority since returning to office. In May, the United States agreed to sell the kingdom an arms package worth nearly $142 billion, which the White House called “the largest defense cooperation agreement” Washington has ever concluded.

However, the specific weaponry included in the $142 billion was not specified.  One can only wonder whether getting Saudi Arabia’s agreement to sign on to the cease fire agreement concluded in Sharm El-Sheikh last month, also carried a quid pro quo for the sale of these F-35s to the Saudis.  We may never know but it was widely assumed that each country that was a signatory to the agreement got “something” out of their agreement that was/is important to each of them.

As of this point in time, Pentagon sources say no final decision has been made and several more steps are needed before final approval can be given, which includes Cabinet approval and notification of Congress before the sale can take place.  However, based on what we have seen during the first 9 months of the current administration in Washington, more often than not the White House has notified Congress as required by law, but only after an event has taken place, if at all.

Perhaps it is time for American citizens who care about Israel, wherever they may reside, to let their representatives in Washington know that this sale would not be in Israel’s best interests.  Clearly this is not the time to remain silent.  The time to act is NOW!