The Trump administration has approved a potential $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, marking one of the largest arms deals to the kingdom since tensions with Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have escalated.
The proposed sale, announced Thursday by the State Department, includes 48 Lockheed Martin F-35 warplanes — the world's most advanced stealth fighter — and 49 Pratt & Whitney engines and other parts.
"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major non-NATO ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Gulf region," the State Department said in a statement.
The announcement follows a recent ramp-up in Houthi attacks on Saudi targets and a ground offensive aimed at securing control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic oil chokepoint. The Trump administration said the deal would enhance Riyadh's ability to deter current and future threats but would not alter the military balance in the region, consistent with a long-standing U.S. policy that Israel maintain a qualitative military edge over potential rivals in the Middle East.
Congress now has 30 days to review or attempt to block the sale. Some lawmakers have already expressed concern.
Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, Democrat of Illinois, said the U.S. should not proceed with the deal "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." He added on social media, "We must not sell our most advanced fighter jet anywhere the CCP may be able to get its hands on the technology inside it."
Congress has previously scrutinized arms sales to Riyadh following the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In May of last year, Trump praised Saudi Arabia after the White House announced a commitment for the kingdom to invest $600 billion in deals with the U.S., including nearly $142 billion in defense sales that the White House then described as providing "state-of-the-art warfighting equipment and services from over a dozen U.S. defense firms."
Trump, who maintains a close relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, welcomed the crown prince to the White House in November 2025.
