(AFP) – The United States has approved a $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 stealth warplanes to Saudi Arabia, the State Department said Thursday, marking 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 – have 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 continued. The State Department has notified Congress about the proposed sale, which would require the approval of US lawmakers. However, it did not provide a time frame for the delivery of the jets.
The F-35 sale “will not alter the military balance in the region,” the State Department emphasized, in keeping with longstanding US policy that Israel must have a military edge over potential regional adversaries. The United States has so far only allowed the sales of F-35s to its closest allies, including several European NATO nations and Israel. Notably, Washington kicked NATO member Turkey out of the F-35 program in 2019 due to Ankara’s purchase of a Russian air defense system, which sparked fears that Moscow could acquire the plane’s technology.
Washington also has concerns about potential Chinese espionage related to the jets. The New York Times reported this week that US intelligence analysts have raised the possibility that Beijing could acquire F-35 technology through its partnerships with Riyadh. US Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee, expressed opposition to the sale on those grounds. He stated it should not proceed “when our own intelligence community is warning that it could put the crown jewels of American military technology within reach of the Chinese Communist Party.”
The F-35 sale is the latest in a series of significant 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. Additionally, 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, as well as a $1.96 billion deal in July for the kingdom to buy guidance sections that can convert rockets into precision weapons.
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. Moreover, it has also been hit by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Yemen’s civil war, which had been dormant for years, reignited in July with fighting between Houthis and the internationally recognized, Riyadh-backed government, leading to the rebels declaring a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and targeting its ships in the Red Sea.
While Washington has not directly entered the conflict, a US official stated earlier this week that an American military task force is working to enhance intelligence sharing and planning assistance for Saudi forces.
– W.G. DUNLOP
© 2024 AFP
