--- title: "F-35 Sale To Saudi Arabia Being Mulled By Trump Admin: Report" description: "The deal could see the kingdom acquire up to 48 of the stealthy strike fighters, which only Israel is currently allowed to purchase in the region. The deal could see the kingdom acquire up to 48 of the stealthy strike fighters, which only Israel is currently allowed to purchase in the region." date: "2025-11-05" modified: "2025-11-05" authors: - name: "Thomas Newdick" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick" url: "https://www.twz.com/air/f-35-sale-to-saudi-arabia-being-mulled-by-trump-admin-report" categories: - "Air" - "Air Forces" - "Around The Globe" - "F-15" - "F-35" - "F-35A" - "Fighters" - "Middle East" - "News & Features" - "Royal Saudi Air Force" - "Saudi Arabia" - "Typhoon" --- # F-35 Sale To Saudi Arabia Being Mulled By Trump Admin: Report ![An Italian Air Force F-35 Lighting II arrives at an undisclosed location within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, June 30, 2024. The F-35A is an agile, versatile, high-performance, 9g capable multirole fighter that combines stealth, sensor fusion and unprecedented situational awareness. The ITAF stopped in CENTCOM as a part of Operation Indo-Pacific Jump (IPJ) 2024.]() *U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Zachary Foster* Saudi Arabia could become the next customer for the [Lockheed Martin F-35](), with the Trump administration reportedly weighing up the sale of up to 48 jets to the kingdom. Selling the stealth jet to Saudi Arabia would be [a significant policy shift](), with Washington previously being unwilling to export F-35s to Arab states in the region, for fear of upsetting the strategic balance in relation to Israel. According to a *Reuters* [report](), which cites two unnamed sources said to be familiar with the matter, the U.S. administration is considering whether to approve the deal, ahead of a visit to the United States by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler. The crown prince is [due to meet]() U.S. President Donald Trump on November 18. The potential deal has apparently already been given the green light by the Pentagon, where it was discussed at the highest levels for “months.” ![RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - MAY 14: U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman speak as they arrive during the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Leaders’ Summit at The Ritz-Carlton on May 14, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The council addresses regional stability, defense cooperation, and energy policy among Gulf nations. Trump is on a multi-nation tour of the Gulf region focused on expanding economic ties and reinforcing security cooperation with key U.S. allies. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)]() *U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman speak as they arrive during the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Leaders’ Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May 2025. *Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images* Win McNamee* Citing one of those sources and an unnamed U.S. official, the same report claims that Saudi Arabia made a new request for F-35s earlier this year, with a direct appeal to Trump. The U.S. official and a second U.S. official confirmed to *Reuters* that the weapons deal “was moving through the system,” but, before it was formally approved, it would need “further approvals at the Cabinet level, sign-off from Trump, and notification of Congress.” Approval of the sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia would be a big deal. So far, despite previous interest both from the Saudis and from the United Arab Emirates, the United States has refused to export the stealth jets to operators in the Middle East, other than Israel. ![A US Air Force (USAF) Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft flies over during the 2023 Dubai Airshow at Dubai World Central - Al-Maktoum International Airport in Dubai on November 13, 2023. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)]() *A U.S. Air Force F-35A performs during the 2023 Dubai Airshow on November 13, 2023. *Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images* GIUSEPPE CACACE* This has been driven primarily by the U.S. requirement to maintain Israel’s so-called qualitative military edge, a guarantee that Israel will be prioritized for advanced U.S. weapons ahead of Arab states in the region. The Israeli Air Force’s F-35I fleet is very much at the cutting edge of the country’s air warfare capabilities. Israel is currently buying 75 F-35s, and these [will incorporate]() an [increasing proportion of Israeli-made technology]() and weapons. The Israeli jets, known locally as Adir, have already seen extensive combat use, [including against Iran](). ![]() *An Israeli Air Force F-35I in the so-called ‘beast mode,’ featuring heavier loads on the underwing pylons. *Israeli Air Force** 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. While the proposal fell through, Trump has put a much greater emphasis on arms sales to Saudi Arabia since he took office earlier this year. The centerpiece of these efforts was the roughly [$142-billion arms package]() agreed between Washington and Riyadh in May of this year. The White House described it as “the largest defense cooperation agreement” in U.S. history. Saudi Arabia is already the biggest customer of U.S. weapons. Whatever Trump’s view of the potential F-35 sale, there will likely be some pushback from U.S. lawmakers. At the Congressional level, there has been previous scrutiny around arms sales to Saudi Arabia, especially after the 2018 [murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi](). Other nations, too, have held back from selling weapons to Saudi Arabia amid concerns over the country’s human rights abuses, as well as its role [in the Yemen war](). Even without the F-35, the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) operates an extremely modern and advanced fleet of fighters. It received 84 of the [new-build F-15SA](), which was the most advanced variant of the Strike Eagle family available until the appearance of the Qatari [F-15QA]() and the U.S. Air Force’s [F-15EX Eagle II](). Meanwhile, the 68-strong fleet of earlier F-15S aircraft has been upgraded locally to a similar standard, known as F-15SR (for Saudi Retrofit). ![]() *A Saudi F-15SA conducts a pre-delivery test through Rainbow Canyon, California, in 2018. *Christopher McGreevy** The RSAF also received 72 [Eurofighter Typhoons](). Older, but still capable, are around 80 British-supplied [Panavia Tornado IDS]() swing-wing strike aircraft, which continue in service in the strike role. The F-35s would be the likely replacement for the aging Tornados. Saudi Arabia was long expected to buy more Typhoons, in a deal that would be brokered by BAE Systems of the United Kingdom. At one time, Saudi Arabia had even looked at the possibility of [local assembly]() of these aircraft. However, since Eurofighter is a multinational company, exports have to be approved by the other partners: Germany, Italy, and Spain. Germany — which has a stake in Eurofighter via the German arm of Airbus — has consistently blocked further Typhoon sales to Saudi Arabia, citing human rights concerns. Meanwhile, BAE Systems and the U.K. government have tried to finalize a Saudi deal for 48 more Typhoons since 2018. ![Saudi Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets perform during a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the creation of the King Faisal Air Academy at King Salman airbase in Riyadh on January 25, 2017. / AFP / FAYEZ NURELDINE (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)]() *Royal Saudi Air Force Typhoons perform during a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the creation of the King Faisal Air Academy at King Salman Air Base in Riyadh in January 2017. *FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images* FAYEZ NURELDINE* *TWZ* spoke to [Justin Bronk](), Senior Research Fellow for Airpower and Technology at the U.K.-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank, for his prognosis of a potential new Saudi Typhoon deal. “I think it’s still relatively likely,” he said, “given that the RSAF, by all accounts, is very happy with its Typhoon fleet, and particularly with the support the United Kingdom provides through BAE Systems, including training Saudi pilots in Saudi Arabia.” Bronk also raised the possibility that a follow-on Typhoon deal could be linked to Saudi participation in the [Global Combat Air Program](), or GCAP, the effort under which the United Kingdom’s [Tempest next-generation fighter]() is being developed, in partnership with Italy and Japan. However, that would be far from easy, since workshare arrangements have already been agreed between the three partners. With a potential Typhoon deal still hanging in the air, Saudi Arabia entered talks to buy 54 [Dassault Rafale]() multirole fighters, [as we reported back in 2023](). Buying a French fighter would be something of a new development for Saudi Arabia, but it would also reflect Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s aim to diversify its defense partnerships, part of the Vision 2030 modernization plan. This also calls for a continuation of the long-established security relationship with the United States. ![]() *A pair of Qatar Emiri Air Force Rafales. *Dassault Aviation/Anthony Pecchi* www.twz.com* More recently, Boeing [confirmed]() that it was offering the [F-15EX Eagle II]() to Saudi Arabia. “The F-15EX is the right fit, adding critical capability for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) as the country seeks to accelerate its armed forces modernization,” a Boeing spokesperson told *TWZ* in May 2024. “The F-15EX complements Saudi Arabia’s [existing F-15 fleet]() with 95 percent commonality that includes infrastructure, training, and trainer devices, and pilot skill overlap. We are ready to support our longtime and valued customers in Saudi Arabia with the most capable air superiority aircraft in production today.” ![]() *An F-15EX assigned to the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, takes off for a mission at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, in October 2021. *U.S. Air Force photo by William R. Lewis** https://twitter.com/BoeingMidEast/status/1783839533835878411?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1783839533835878411%7Ctwgr%5E341d176b07188aa5ec42354863b9f50c969d2f40%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.twz.com%2Fair%2Fboeing-pitches-f-15ex-for-saudi-arabian-fighter-competition It could be that a four-horse race is now on the cards, with Saudi Arabia weighing up the options of buying more Typhoons, Rafales, F-15EX, or, providing U.S. approval is forthcoming, F-35s. The F-35 is the most capable of these options and would be the most significant in terms of the modernization of the RSAF fighter fleet. This effort is primarily driven by the threat posed by Iran, Saudi Arabia’s major regional adversary, although tensions between the two powers have [subsided in recent years](). Increasingly, Iran has projected its power across the region, including backing militant groups but also undertaking its own extensive maritime activities in the Persian Gulf and further afield. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has also been waging a long-running campaign against the [Iranian-backed Houthi rebels]() in Yemen. This has seen the extensive use of RSAF fighter jets. The only other Arab country in the region [to have come close to buying F-35s]() was the United Arab Emirates. An arms package, approved at the end of the previous Trump administration, and valued at up to $23.37 billion, included [50 F-35As](), up to 18 MQ-9B drones, and $10-billion-worth of advanced munitions. In 2021, the Emirati government reportedly said it wanted to scrap the plan, due to [concerns over stringent safeguards]() to protect these systems against Chinese espionage. https://twitter.com/ValerieInsinna/status/1470835417725513738?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1470835417725513738%7Ctwgr%5E4eaa01f43b8b71574bc8c3a31f3078f6274d608b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.twz.com%2F43513%2Fuae-f-35-stealth-fighter-deal-hangs-by-a-thread-amid-chinese-espionage-worries For the RSAF, the path to receiving the F-35 is made simpler by the thawing relations between Saudi Arabia — and other Arab nations in the Middle East — and Israel. Such a deal could also be linked to the kingdom signing up to the Abraham Accords, a set of agreements that establishes normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab states. The Trump administration [has pushed for]() Saudi Arabia to sign up to the accords, which would be a huge breakthrough, following the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco. Another possibility might be to offer Saudi Arabia less-advanced versions of the F-35, perhaps in the latest [Technology Refresh 3](), or TR-3, configuration, but without the massive Block 4 upgrade, which supports [a brand-new radar]() and a host of other capabilities. Secondhand jets could be another option, provided a source for these can be found. Ultimately, Saudi Arabia may well add a fifth-generation fighter to its already impressive fourth-generation fighters, the [Boeing F-15SA]() and [Eurofighter Typhoon](). With the Trump administration currently looking very much in favor of defense cooperation with Riyadh, this could be an opportune moment for the F-35 to secure its first Arab customer in the Middle East. *Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com* ## Author Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments. ### Author social links [Twitter]()