A sale would mark a significant policy shift, potentially altering the military balance in the Middle East
\n riyadh
\nThe Trump administration is considering a Saudi Arabian request to buy as many as 48 F-35 fighter jets, a potential multi-billion-dollar deal that has cleared a key Pentagon hurdle ahead of a visit by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, two sources familiar with the matter said.
\nA sale would mark a significant policy shift, potentially altering the military balance in the Middle East and testing Washington\u2019s definition of maintaining Israel\u2019s \u201cqualitative military edge.\u201d
\nSaudi Arabia made a direct appeal earlier this year to US President Donald Trump and has long been interested in Lockheed Martin\u2019s fighter, one of the people and a US official said.
\nThe Pentagon is now weighing a potential sale of 48 of the advanced aircraft, the US official and the person familiar with the talks told Reuters. The size of the request and its status have not been previously reported.
\nThe US official and a second US official, who acknowledged the weapons deal was moving through the system, said no final decision has been made and several more steps are needed before the ultimate nod, including further approvals at the Cabinet level, sign-off from Trump and notification of Congress. The Pentagon\u2019s policy department worked on the potential transaction for months, and the case has now progressed to the secretary level within the Defense Department, according to one of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
\nThe Pentagon, White House, and State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A Lockheed Martin spokesperson said military sales are government-to-government transactions and the matter is best addressed by Washington.
\nWashington weighs weapons sales to the Middle East in a way that ensures Israel maintains a \u201cqualitative military edge\u201d. This guarantees that Israel gets more advanced US weapons than the regional Arab states.
\nThe F-35, built with stealth technology that allows it to evade enemy detection, is considered the world\u2019s most advanced fighter jet. Israel has operated the aircraft for nearly a decade, building multiple squadrons, and remains the only Middle Eastern country to possess the weapons system.
\nSaudi Arabia, the largest customer for US arms, has sought the fighter for years as it looks to modernise its air force and counter regional threats, particularly from Iran.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A sale would mark a significant policy shift, potentially altering the military balance in the Middle East riyadh The Trump administration is considering a Saudi Arabian request to buy as many as 48 F-35 fighter jets, a potential multi-billion-dollar deal that has cleared a key Pentagon hurdle ahead of a visit by Crown Prince Mohammed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":512861,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-512824","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n