Trump To Approve Sale Of F-35s To Saudi Arabia

President Donald Trump said Nov. 17 he will approve the sale of Lockheed Martin F-35s to Saudi Arabia as that country’s crown prince is set to visit Washington.

Trump was asked about the potential to sell the jets to Saudi Arabia during an Oval Office press conference, responding “I will say that we’ll be selling F-35s.”

Saudi Arabia has been a “great ally” and wants to buy the fifth-generation fighters, Trump says. He pointed to Saudi Arabia’s support of the U.S. military mission to strike Iranian nuclear targets in June.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is set to visit the White House on Nov. 18, when the topic of F-35s was expected to be discussed. The potential sale of the fighter has raised controversy, as it would violate the principle of Israel having a qualitative military advantage over neighboring nations in the Middle East. Ahead of the meeting, Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman said in a social media post that he met with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff, and “we reviewed the Saudi-U.S. relations and explored ways to bolster our strategic cooperation.”

The announcement also comes as the United Arab Emirates had been attempting for years to buy the aircraft.

The deal could also impact expected additional orders of Boeing F-15s in Saudi Arabia, as Boeing has pitched the modernized F-15EX variant. Saudi Arabia has indicated it wanted to combine the purchase of a fourth-generation fighter with that of a more modern aircraft, including hints of involvement in the Global Combat Air Program.

Trump’s comments also come after reports emerged of concerns within the Pentagon about Saudi Arabia fielding F-35s. The Defense Intelligence Agency in a recent report raised the possibility of China attempting to acquire the F-35’s advanced technology if Saudi Arabia receives the jets, the New York Times reported.