State Department Notifies Congress of $24.3 Billion F-35 Sale to Saudi Arabia
The notification triggers a congressionally mandated review period during which lawmakers may attempt to block or modify the largest single arms sale to Saudi Arabia in recent memory.
The U.S. State Department formally notified Congress on September 17, 2026, of a proposed sale of up to 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, with the total package valued at as much as $24.3 billion, according to Bloomberg. The aircraft would be manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corporation.
Under the Arms Export Control Act, a formal congressional notification initiates a 30-day review window during which Congress may pass a joint resolution of disapproval to block the transfer. The 30-day clock applies to NATO allies and certain designated partners. For other recipients, the review window is 15 days for major defense equipment. The notification letter to Congress, submitted through the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), is the public record that would confirm the precise statutory timeline and final package configuration.
President Trump signaled the sale would proceed as early as November 2025, according to Bloomberg, offering Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman access to the F-35 platform ahead of a visit. The F-35 is the most advanced multi-role stealth fighter jet in the U.S. Military inventory. Saudi Arabia had sought the aircraft for a number of years prior to the formal notification.
The proposed transaction represents the first time the United States has offered the F-35 to Saudi Arabia. Previous U.S. Administrations declined to include the platform in Saudi arms packages, citing regional security considerations, including commitments related to Israel's qualitative military edge under U.S. Law (22 U.S.C. 2776(e)).
The qualitative military edge, or QME, requirement obligates the executive branch to assess whether a proposed sale would undermine Israel's military superiority in the region. Whether the State Department completed a QME assessment in connection with this notification, and the conclusions of that assessment, are not confirmed in the available source material. The full DSCA notification letter, which is a public document, would contain or reference the QME determination.
Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the F-35 program, which is managed through the F-35 Joint Program Office within the Department of Defense. The per-unit cost of an F-35A, the conventional takeoff variant most commonly exported, was approximately $82.5 million in fiscal year 2023, according to the F-35 JPO annual report. At that unit price, 48 aircraft would total roughly $3.96 billion in airframe costs alone. The balance of the $24.3 billion package would cover weapons systems, spare parts, training, sustainment, and associated government services, which are standard components of foreign military sales priced in DSCA notifications.
Congress has previously moved to restrict arms transfers to Saudi Arabia. In 2019 and 2021, bipartisan majorities in both chambers passed joint resolutions invoking the War Powers Resolution and the Arms Export Control Act to limit weapons sales, citing the conflict in Yemen. President Trump vetoed the 2019 resolutions. President Biden vetoed a 2021 resolution targeting precision-guided munitions. The current notification will test whether similar legislative opposition emerges in the 119th Congress.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee members have standing to request classified briefings on the proposed sale. No committee statements regarding this specific notification were available in the source material as of the publication date.
The sale also connects to the broader U.S.-Saudi normalization framework that has been under negotiation. Bloomberg reported that Trump signaled the F-35 offer partly in advance of a visit by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The State Department has not publicly confirmed the specific diplomatic sequencing.
What remains unknown as of September 17, 2026: the precise statutory notification category assigned by DSCA, the completed QME assessment, the breakdown of the $24.3 billion by line item, and whether any member of Congress has introduced a resolution of disapproval. The full DSCA transmittal letter and accompanying policy justification, both public documents, would answer each of those questions.