US to sell KSA downgraded F-35s to preserve 'Israel's' military edge
3 Min Read
The US will sell downgraded F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia, omitting advanced features to preserve "Israel’s" military edge, officials confirm.
-
A squadron of US Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft flies over as President Donald Trump greets Polish President Karol Nawrocki at the White House, Wednesday, September 3, 2025, in Washington (AP)
US officials and defense experts confirmed Wednesday that the F-35 fighter jets the United States plans to sell to Saudi Arabia will lack several key features found in the jets operated by the Israeli occupation.
According to Reuters, this disparity aligns with long-standing US policy, which mandates maintaining "Israel’s" qualitative military edge in the region.
Following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of the deal earlier this week, officials clarified that the Saudi aircraft will not include the advanced systems featured in "Israel’s" fleet. These include cutting-edge weapon systems and electronic warfare equipment.
"Israel" also holds unique privileges to modify its F-35 jets. These include the integration of proprietary weapon systems, enhanced radar-jamming capabilities, and other improvements, each requiring US approval.
In addition to capability differences, "Israel" retains numerical superiority in the region. It currently operates two full squadrons of F-35s, with a third on order. In contrast, Saudi Arabia’s deal is limited to two squadrons, which will not be delivered for several years.
'Israel' conditions F-35s for normalization
"Israel" had considered asking the United States for security guarantees before Washington approved the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, Axios reported on Monday, citing two senior Israeli officials.
According to the report, the occupation regime has informed the Trump administration that such a sale should be conditional upon the normalization of ties between Riyadh and the Israeli occupation.
"We told the Trump administration that the supply of F-35s to Saudi Arabia needs to be subject to Saudi normalization with Israel," one official was quoted as saying.
The occupation entity reportedly raised concerns over the strategic proximity of Saudi territory, noting that the F-35s could reach Israeli airspace within minutes if deployed in the western part of the kingdom.
KSA pushes normalization
Directly after, Mohammed bin Salman used his visit to the White House on Tuesday to promote normalization with “Israel”, further aligning Riyadh with US policy priorities at the expense of Palestinian rights.
Sitting alongside US President Donald Trump, the crown prince declared his intention to join the so‑called Abraham Accords, conditioning the move on vague assurances of a future Palestinian state.
“We want to be part of the Abraham Accords. But we also want to be sure that we secure a clear path of two-state solution,” he said, without specifying how Saudi Arabia would ensure such a path after years of US and Israeli obstruction.
Read more: How Saudi F-35s would not erode Israeli air superiority: Report
