| Submit your comments on this article |
| Arabia |
| US approves sale of 48 F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia |
| 2026-09-18 |
| [BB] The United States has approved a $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 stealth warplanes to Saudi Arabia, the State Department said Thursday, the kingdom’s latest major arms purchase since the start of the Iran war. Saudi Arabia has long sought to buy F-35s, but officials from Israel — currently the only country in the Middle East to operate the jets — has voiced concern about their sale to Riyadh despite a push for the kingdom to normalize relations. “The proposed sale will improve Saudi Arabia’s capability to deter current and future threats by strengthening its homeland defense, and improving interoperability with US forces,” the State Department said in a statement. It “will also augment Saudi Arabia’s operational aircraft and enhance its air-to-air, and air-to-ground self-defense capability,” the statement said. The Saudi embassy in Washington praised the transaction, saying it “reflects the strength and enduring nature” of the relationship with the United States. It added that the security cooperation between the two countries “has contributed to regional stability, strengthened our collective defense capabilities, and advanced our shared security interests.” Saudi Arabia has been repeatedly targeted with drone and missile strikes by Tehran’s forces since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran in February, and has also been hit by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Yemen’s civil war had been dormant for years, but fighting between Houthis and the internationally recognized, Riyadh-backed government reignited in July, with the rebels declaring a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and targeting its ships in the Red Sea. The F-35 sale is the latest in a series of major arms buys by Saudi Arabia this year. The State Department announced the approval of a $5 billion sale of more than 10,000 bombs — including highly destructive 2,000-pound weapons — to Riyadh earlier in September. Washington also signed off on the sale of 60 tank engines and related equipment to Saudi Arabia at a cost of $750 million this month, and a $1.96 billion deal in July for the kingdom to buy guidance sections that can convert rockets into precision weapons. |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #5 |
| Posted by: Frank G 2026-09-18 19:04 |
| #4 |
| Posted by: Dopey Photch2701 2026-09-18 16:53 |
| #3 |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2026-09-18 10:01 |
| #2 |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2026-09-18 08:59 |
| #1 |
| Posted by: Grom the Reflective 2026-09-18 08:27 |