The package includes 48 Lockheed Martin fighter jets and 49 Pratt & Whitney engines, and still requires congressional approval
Cris Tolomia — QZ.com
The Trump administration approved the potential sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia in a deal valued at $24.3 billion, the State Department announced on Thursday.
Beyond the jets themselves, the State Department said the package covers 49 Pratt & Whitney engines, communications equipment, spare parts, and an assortment of additional support items. The State Department quoted itself in a statement as saying: “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 deal still requires congressional approval. Under standard arms-sale procedures, Congress has a 30-day window in which it can review or move to block the transaction, according to CNBC. Some lawmakers have raised concerns, including Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, Democrat of Illinois, who argued the sale could put sensitive military technology within reach of China. “We must not sell our most advanced fighter jet anywhere the CCP may be able to get its hands on the technology inside it,” Krishnamoorthi said in a social media statement.