Israeli defence officials have expressed concern that their country will lose regional air superiority if the United States provides Saudi Arabia with 48 advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets.
The kingdom was designated a key non-Nato US ally and major arms sales were agreed during this week’s White House visit of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Their US manufacturer Lockheed Martin has described the fighter as the “most lethal, survivable and connected fighter aircraft in the world.” Each plane costs between $80-$100 million.
Israel claims that the sale of the F-35s would violate the US policy adopted by president Harry Truman in 1948 of maintaining Israel’s military “edge” over all real and potential Arab antagonists.
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However, analysts argue the F-35 deal with the Saudis would not change the military balance as Israel is the regional military hegemon and Saudi Arabia has not been involved in hostilities toward Israel.
Israel is only regional country to possess fifth-generation F-35s, which are manufactured in partnership by the US, Australia, Canada, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, and Britain and have been by deployed by them and another dozen countries. The F-35 is not only a jet fighter but combines stealth, intelligence, penetration and strike capabilities which enhance local and regional strategic reach and security.
The F-35 has been adapted to fill the requirements of owners. Israel’s F-35I carries Israeli weapons, has installed advanced stealth systems and has been modified with external tanks to fly long missions without refuelling. Saudi Arabia is likely to tailor its F-35s to meet the country’s security needs.
Having forged security ties with Pakistan and India as well as the US, Riyadh decided self-defence is the best guarantee of security after Israel bombed Qatar on September 9th, targeting a Hamas facility authorised by the US which maintains its main regional air base in the emirate.
The US military command was, reportedly, informed by Israel minutes before the strike when it was too late to mount a defence. This attack was the first by Israel on the six-state Gulf Co-operation Council which has not conducted violent acts against Israel. The attack was condemned by the United Nations Security Council.
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The Saudis have acquired state-of-the art weaponry and upgraded their military forces since September 2019 when drones and cruise missiles struck Saudi-Aramco oil processing facilities in the east. While Yemeni Houthis claimed the attack was in retaliation for Saudi bombing of Yemen, Iran was blamed as the Houthis’ sponsor.
The attack caused large fires at the facilities which closed for repairs, reducing Saudi output by half for several days. The chief US military facility in Saudi Arabia, the Prince Sultan air base which hosts patriot anti-missile batteries, was criticised for failing to intercept the missiles on route to their targets.
