The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to approve the long-sought sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, a move that would mark a major shift in U.S. security policy in the Middle East.
According to a Bloomberg report published Friday citing administration officials, President Donald Trump is expected to finalize an agreement with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) that would, for the first time, grant Riyadh access to the U.S. military’s most advanced fighter aircraft. Saudi Arabia has pushed for the purchase for nearly a decade.
If approved, the decision would represent a significant break from Washington’s longstanding policy of maintaining Israel’s “qualitative military edge” by restricting the export of top-tier military technology to Arab states.
MBS is scheduled to visit Washington on Tuesday for his first trip to the U.S. in seven years, where he will meet Trump at the White House. The Pentagon has reportedly cleared the prospective sale of 48 F-35s, positioning the deal for rapid approval during the visit.
The White House is also planning a black-tie dinner in MBS’s honor on Tuesday evening, underscoring the strategic importance the Trump administration is placing on the renewed U.S.–Saudi defense partnership.
The reported agreement follows Trump’s signing of a $142 billion defense cooperation package with Saudi Arabia during his Middle East tour in May—described as the largest U.S.–Saudi defense deal in history. That package included missile defense systems, maritime security, and military training agreements.
Saudi Arabia first signaled interest in the F-35 in 2017 during Trump’s first term, seeking to modernize its aging F-15 fleet. The deal stalled under President Joe Biden, who froze major arms sales to Riyadh over regional tensions and Washington’s policy of maintaining Israel’s military edge.
If the agreement is finalized, Saudi Arabia would become the second Arab nation to operate the F-35, following the United Arab Emirates, which received its first jets last year as part of the conditions tied to its 2020 normalization agreement with Israel. Unlike the UAE, Saudi Arabia has not signaled any intention to normalize relations with Israel—a departure from the framework Trump championed through the Abraham Accords.