On September 17, 2026, the State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs issued Transmittal 26-69, the formal congressional notification of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Saudi Arabia of 48 F-35 Lightning II aircraft and 49 Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 engines, at an estimated total cost of $24.3 billion. The principal contractors are Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and Pratt & Whitney Military Engines.
This is an approval to proceed with a possible sale, not a completed sale. Congress has 30 days to review it or attempt to block it, and the $24.3 billion is an estimated total including support, spares, training and logistics rather than a price for the aircraft alone. If it goes through, Saudi Arabia would become the only Arab country operating the F-35.
The notification makes the administration's case in its own words: “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.” It adds that the sale “will not alter the military balance in the region.”
The timing places it in the middle of an active war. It came as Iran-backed Houthi forces escalated attacks on Saudi targets and moved on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The objection on the record concerns counterintelligence. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) said the United States should not proceed “when our own intelligence community is warning that it could put the crown jewels of American military technology within reach of the Chinese Communist Party,” adding, “We must not sell our most advanced fighter jet anywhere the CCP may be able to get its hands on the technology inside it.” That is a lawmaker's characterization of intelligence warnings, not a published intelligence finding.
The sale follows the May 2025 announcement of a $600 billion Saudi investment commitment that included a defense package of roughly $142 billion, and Trump's hosting of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House in November. This tracker previously held this story back when it rested on anonymous sourcing alone; the formal notification resolves that.
Update (September 21, 2026): the F-35 notification came two weeks after another, for a possible $5 billion sale of more than 10,000 bombs (see The Administration Notifies Congress of a Possible $5 Billion Sale of 10,000 Bombs to Saudi Arabia During the Iran War). The sales are moving while Saudi Arabia is under Houthi missile attack and, according to CNN and The New York Times, the administration has so far declined the kingdom's request for American strikes.
Update (September 22, 2026): that refusal nearly reversed. The New York Times, citing administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, reported that after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump on Thursday, September 17, “to implore him, again, to step in,” Trump “reversed himself and told the Pentagon to prepare for airstrikes against the Houthis.” By the Times's account, “commanders had approved target lists, troops were loading bombs onto U.S. warplanes selected for the missions, and the wave of attacks was just about to begin,” when, “by midday Sunday, the president appeared to have reversed himself again.” The Times reported that “Most of the president's inner circle was either deeply skeptical or outright opposed” to joining the Saudi fight. The White House declined to discuss the deliberations on the record; a senior official said only that “the U.S. has a defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and we will always defend our allies.” AFP and the Daily Caller relayed the Times account; its details rest on anonymous officials.