The United States has approved a $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 stealth warplanes to Saudi Arabia, the State Department says, the kingdom’s latest major arms purchase since the start of the Iran war, according to AFP.
“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 says 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 says.
The State Department has notified Congress about the proposed sale, which would require the approval of US lawmakers. 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 says, in keeping with longstanding US policy that Israel must have a military edge over potential regional adversaries.
