{"id":23439675,"date":"2026-09-19T13:07:51","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T11:07:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/saudi-arabia-f-35-sale-state-department-approval-48-jets-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-09-19T13:08:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T11:08:22","slug":"saudi-arabia-f-35-sale-state-department-approval-48-jets-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/saudi-arabia-f-35-sale-state-department-approval-48-jets-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Saudi Arabia F-35 Sale: State Department Clears 48 Jets"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n\r\n<p>Saudi Arabia has been asking for the F-35 for years. On Thursday it finally got an answer, and the answer was yes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The US State Department approved a possible sale of 48 <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-35-lightning-ii\/\">F-35 Lightning II<\/a> fighters to the kingdom, an estimated $24.3 billion package that also covers 49 Pratt &amp; Whitney engines, communications gear, spares and support. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress the same day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>That last sentence matters more than the headline. This is a clearance, not a contract. Congress now gets to look at it, and Congress has opinions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:20px 24px;margin:26px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;font-size:18px;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:20px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.8;color:#454e5e\"><li><strong>What was approved:<\/strong> a possible Foreign Military Sale of F-35 Lightning II aircraft to Saudi Arabia<\/li><li><strong>Who approved it:<\/strong> the US Department of State, announced Thursday 17 September 2026<\/li><li><strong>Value:<\/strong> an estimated $24.3 billion<\/li><li><strong>Quantity:<\/strong> 48 aircraft and 49 Pratt &amp; Whitney engines, plus communications equipment, spares and support<\/li><li><strong>Still required:<\/strong> congressional review and approval<\/li><li><strong>Delivery:<\/strong> several years away even if Congress clears it<\/li><li><strong>Significance:<\/strong> Saudi Arabia would become the second F-35 operator in the Middle East after Israel, and the only Arab one<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Forty-Eight Jets, Forty-Nine Engines<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The arithmetic is worth a second. The F-35 is a single-engine fighter, so 48 aircraft and 49 engines means the Saudis get exactly one spare. That is a lean package, and a sign this is a first tranche rather than a fleet.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Forty-eight airframes is roughly two squadrons. Enough to matter, not enough to reshape the Royal Saudi Air Force on its own. The RSAF today flies a broad Western mix: Boeing F-15s including the advanced F-15SA, plus European Tornados and Eurofighter Typhoons. The F-35 would be its first stealth aircraft and its first fifth-generation type.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/royal-saudi-air-force-f-15sa-formation-kc-135-afcent.jpg\" alt=\"Royal Saudi Air Force F-15SA fighters flying with a US Air Force KC-135 and F-15s over Saudi Arabia\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Royal Saudi Air Force F-15SAs flying alongside US Air Force F-15C Eagles, F-15E Strike Eagles and a KC-135 Stratotanker over Saudi Arabia during a large formation exercise, 10 September 2020. The F-15SA is the most capable fighter the RSAF currently operates. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Duncan C. Bevan)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Israel Problem<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Washington weighs every Middle East arms sale against a doctrine called the qualitative military edge: the principle that Israel keeps access to more advanced American weapons than its neighbours. It is the reason no Arab state has ever flown an F-35, and the reason this particular request has been stuck in the system for so long.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Israel has flown the F-35I Adir for about a decade and has built multiple squadrons around it. Israeli officials have voiced concern about the Riyadh sale even as Washington pushes for Saudi normalisation with Israel. Those two objectives have been pulling against each other since the Biden administration first explored an F-35-for-normalisation package, an effort that eventually stalled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/B2V_vAumuyE\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>There is a second objection, and it is quieter. The New York Times reported this week that US intelligence analysts have raised the possibility that Beijing could gain access to F-35 technology through China partnerships with Riyadh. That is a reported concern rather than a stated government finding, and it is worth labelling as such. But it is exactly the sort of argument that gains weight in a congressional review.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What Riyadh Says<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The Saudi embassy in Washington welcomed the approval within hours.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;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.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington<\/strong> &mdash; Official statement posted on X, 18 September 2026<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Saudi Arabia is the largest single customer for American arms. In 2025 the two countries agreed a package worth close to $142 billion, which the White House described at the time as the largest defence cooperation agreement Washington has ever signed. The kingdom made a direct appeal for the F-35 to President Trump in early 2025, and the administration has signalled openness to deeper defence cooperation ever since.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/f-35a-flight-line-tyndall-air-force-base-2026.jpg\" alt=\"US Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighters parked on the flight line at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">F-35A Lightning IIs on the flight line at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, 30 March 2026. A Saudi buy of 48 jets would be roughly two squadrons worth. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Zeeshan Naeem)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Now Comes Congress<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Lawmakers have blocked and slowed Saudi arms deals before, most notably after the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and a bloc of members remains sceptical of deepening military ties with the kingdom. A congressional review is not a formality here.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Even if it clears, nobody is flying a Saudi F-35 soon. Production slots are spoken for years ahead, pilots and maintainers have to be trained, and infrastructure has to be built. The realistic horizon is the 2030s.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Still, something changed on Thursday. For fifteen years the answer to Saudi Arabia on the F-35 was no, or not yet, or let us talk about normalisation first. The answer is now a qualified yes with a price tag attached. Whatever Congress does next, the door that was nailed shut is standing open.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-style:italic;font-size:14px;color:#777\">Sources: US Department of State; Defense Security Cooperation Agency congressional notification, 17 September 2026; Reuters; Defense News; France 24; NBC News; Stars and Stripes; Gulf News.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>Has the United States approved the F-35 sale to Saudi Arabia?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The State Department approved the potential sale on Thursday 17 September 2026 and the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress the same day. That is a clearance to proceed, not a signed contract. Congress still has to review it, and deliveries would be several years out even if everything goes smoothly.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many F-35s would Saudi Arabia get, and for how much?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Forty-eight aircraft, at an estimated $24.3 billion. The package also covers 49 Pratt and Whitney engines, communications equipment, spare parts and support items. Forty-eight airframes works out to roughly two squadrons. The extra engine is a spare, since the F-35 is a single-engine fighter.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why is the Saudi F-35 sale controversial?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Three reasons. It tests the American commitment to Israel maintaining a qualitative military edge over its neighbours. The New York Times reported that US intelligence analysts have raised the possibility of Chinese access to F-35 technology through Riyadh partnerships with Beijing. And some members of Congress remain wary of arms deals with the kingdom after the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What fighters does the Royal Saudi Air Force fly now?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">A mixed Western fleet: Boeing F-15s, including the advanced F-15SA, alongside European Panavia Tornados and Eurofighter Typhoons. The F-35 would be the kingdom first fifth-generation type and its first stealth aircraft.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Is Israel the only Middle East country with the F-35?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">At present, yes. Israel has operated the F-35I Adir for around a decade and has built up multiple squadrons. If the Saudi deal completes, Saudi Arabia would be the second operator in the region and the first Arab state to fly the type.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is the qualitative military edge?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">It is the long-standing American policy of weighing arms sales to the Middle East so that Israel retains access to more capable US weapons than its regional neighbours. Every major sale to an Arab state is measured against it, which is why a Saudi F-35 has taken so long to reach even this stage.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Can a civilian fly in a fighter jet?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Not in an F-35, which no civilian operator flies and which has no two-seat variant at all. MiGFlug does fly civilians in the back seat of genuine fighter and jet trainer aircraft such as the MiG-29, the Hawker Hunter and the L-39 Albatros, with a qualified military or ex-military pilot in command.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Has the United States approved the F-35 sale to Saudi Arabia?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The State Department approved the potential sale on Thursday 17 September 2026 and the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress the same day. That is a clearance to proceed, not a signed contract. 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MiGFlug does fly civilians in the back seat of genuine fighter and jet trainer aircraft such as the MiG-29, the Hawker Hunter and the L-39 Albatros, with a qualified military or ex-military pilot in command.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/saudi-arabia-gets-the-f-35-a-middle-east-power-shift\/\">Saudi Arabia Gets the F-35: A Middle East Power Shift<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-35-lightning-ii\/\">F-35 Lightning II in the MiGFlug Aircraft Encyclopedia<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The State Department approved a possible $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35s to Saudi Arabia. Congress still has to agree, and Congress has opinions.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":23439230,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23439675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Saudi Arabia F-35 Sale: 48 Jets Cleared, $24.3bn | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The State Department has cleared a $24.3 billion Saudi Arabia F-35 sale: 48 jets, 49 engines, and a congressional review still to come.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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