A day before hosting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, President Donald Trump said on Monday he is mulling to approve the sale of US-made F-35 fighter jets to the Gulf country.
Speaking to the reporters, Trump confirmed the developments, which are seen as a significant policy shift as the US would potentially alter the military balance in the Middle East.
In May this year, the United States agreed to sell an arms package worth nearly $142 billion to Saudi Arabia. At that time, Washington referred to this deal as the largest defense cooperation agreement the US had made till now.
Saudis Seek 48 F-35s:
According to the details, Saudi Arabia has requested to buy as many as 48 F-35 fighters. It has also got clearance from the Pentagon ahead of Mohammed bin Salman’s visit.
For long, Saudi Arabia has been keen on buying Lockheed Martin’s jets. The Middle-East country is the largest customer for US arms and now mulls modernizing its air force and counter-regional threats.
Saudi Arabia seeks to constitute two squadrons of F-35 fighter jets and has approached the United States. In the meantime, even the Trump administration has signaled openness to deepening defense cooperation with Riyadh.
To date, the Saudi Air Force has an elite fighter jets unit, which consists of fighter aircraft such as Boeing F-15s, European Tornados, and Typhoons.
Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia made a direct appeal to buy the jets. Following this, the Pentagon’s policy department worked on the potential transaction for months.
Qualitative Military Edge:
Looking at the details, the United States is also weighing weapons sales to the Middle East in a way that may ensure Israel maintains a ‘qualitative military edge’. This strategy will help Israel get more advanced US weapons compared to the regional Arab states.
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