Dhaka, Friday, September 18, 2026. The Bangladeshi press, relaying international dispatches, reports that the US State Department approved the potential sale of 48 stealth F-35A fighter jets from Lockheed Martin to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, September 17, for an estimated amount of $24.3 billion. The contract also includes 49 Pratt & Whitney F135 engines, communication equipment, spare parts, and logistical support, the State Department specified, as cited by TBS News. The sale must still be reviewed by the US Congress before any delivery, which would be the first of its kind to the Saudi kingdom.

The two titles consulted in Dhaka, The Daily Star and TBS News, place the announcement in the context of the war that Riyadh is facing on several fronts. The Daily Star recalls that Saudi Arabia has been the repeated target of drone and missile strikes from Iran since Washington and Israel went to war against Tehran in February, and that it is also suffering attacks from Houthi rebels, supported by Iran, whose civil war in Yemen has flared up again in July. The Houthis have since declared a maritime blockade of the kingdom and targeted its ships in the Red Sea, a context that the dispatch presents as the backdrop for this arms purchase.

TBS News emphasizes another point: the sale would test the definition that Washington gives to maintaining the "qualitative military edge" of its Israeli ally, the only country in the region already operating the F-35. The Saudi embassy in Washington welcomed the operation on X, presenting it as a reflection of "the strength and durable nature" of the strategic partnership with the United States. The State Department, for its part, asserts that the sale will strengthen Riyadh's ability to deter threats without altering the regional military balance.

Neither article develops the fear, reported elsewhere, of Chinese access to the stealth technology of the aircraft via Riyadh's partnerships with Beijing: an angle absent from the two Bangladeshi dispatches, focused on the face-off with Iran and the Houthis rather than the technological dimension of the transfer.

Brasília, September 18, 2026. The Brazilian press sees the US authorization to sell 48 F-35s to Saudi Arabia as a signal sent to the Middle East in the midst of recomposition, rather than just a simple arms transaction. According to the US Department of State, cited by the Jornal de Brasília via AFP, the sale involves 48 F-35A stealth fighter jets, accompanied by 49 Pratt & Whitney F135 engines, for an estimated amount of $24.3 billion (approximately 125 billion reais). The agreement still needs to pass Congress, which has now been notified.

Washington justifies the sale by stating that it "will improve Saudi Arabia's ability to deter current and future threats," by strengthening "the defense of its territory" and "interoperability with US forces." The State Department also notes that it "will increase the number of operational aircraft" in the kingdom and consolidate its air-to-air and air-to-ground self-defense capabilities.

The newspaper recalls that the announcement was made by Donald Trump in November, during the visit to Washington by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but that the authorization only comes now, "at a time of crisis for the Saudi kingdom." Riyadh had been demanding a fifth-generation aircraft for years, until now having a mixed fleet of American and European aircraft. In the region, only Israel operates F-35s — with, as Folha highlights, more real combat experience than the Americans themselves; its officials have expressed their reservations to Washington.

Jérusalem, Friday, September 18, 2026. The US State Department approved on Thursday the potential sale of 48 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter jets and 49 Pratt & Whitney F135 engines to Saudi Arabia, for an estimated $24.3 billion. The transaction, which includes equipment, training, and support, is not yet a final contract: it still needs to pass review by the US Congress. Washington asserts that this sale will strengthen Riyadh's ability to deter threats against the kingdom and improve interoperability with American, allied, and NATO forces, while ensuring that it "will not alter the military balance in the region".

For Israel, the only country in the Middle East currently operating the F-35, the announcement revives an old concern. According to Haaretz, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims that agreements reached with Washington will preserve Israel's advantage. But Israeli defense officials, cited by the same newspaper, fear that the presence of the aircraft in the Saudi air force may expose certain Israeli capabilities. President Donald Trump had confirmed this sale in November 2025, after a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the occasion of the signing of a series of diplomatic agreements.

In the Jerusalem Post, expert Jonathan Ruhe, from the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, estimates that the sale should only move forward once two issues are resolved: Saudi Arabia's integration into a US-led regional security architecture, and the preservation of Israel's qualitative military edge (QME), guaranteed by US law since 2008. "The entire F-35 program is designed to support US-led collective defense," he said, adding that "Israel's qualitative advantage is a key factor in this regional integration, and should be reflected in any potential F-35 sale to the kingdom".

Islamabad, September 18, 2026. The Pakistani press is reporting without hesitation the announcement from Washington: on Thursday, September 17, the US Department of State gave the green light to the potential sale of 48 stealth F-35A Lightning II aircraft from Lockheed Martin to Saudi Arabia, for an estimated amount of $24.3 billion. The package includes 49 Pratt & Whitney F135 engines, communication equipment, spare parts, and logistical support, according to the notification sent to Congress. According to The Express Tribune, lawmakers have 30 calendar days to review or oppose the transaction before its finalization.

For Islamabad, the sale is part of the immediate context of the war being waged by Riyadh against the Houthis in Yemen. The Express Tribune recalls that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman requested military aid from President Donald Trump last week to combat the Iran-aligned rebels, as they intensify their threats against the Red Sea. Trump has had at least two phone exchanges with the Saudi leader without agreeing to direct US strikes against the Houthis, but promising intelligence sharing and targeting assistance. Business Recorder notes, in the same context, that the Houthis claim to have shot down a Saudi fighter jet.

Riyadh, September 18, 2026. The US State Department approved on Thursday, September 17, the potential sale of 48 F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jets, built by Lockheed Martin, to Saudi Arabia, for an estimated $24.3 billion, according to a notification sent to Congress. The agreement also includes 49 Pratt & Whitney F135 engines, as well as associated equipment, training, and logistical support. This would be the first delivery of F-35s to the kingdom, which has been requesting them for years: Riyadh had made a direct request to Donald Trump in early 2025, and the US president announced in November 2025 Washington's intention to sell these aircraft to Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi embassy in Washington welcomed the transaction, estimating that it "reflects the strength and enduring nature" of the relationship between the two countries. It added that American-Saudi security cooperation has "contributed to regional stability, strengthened our collective defense capabilities, and advanced our common security interests." The Saudi diplomatic statement thus emphasizes the continuity of a bilateral link, more than the military capabilities themselves.

The State Department justifies the sale by explaining that it would strengthen the kingdom's ability to deter current and future threats, consolidate its territorial defense, and improve interoperability with American and allied forces. Washington specifies that the agreement would increase the Saudi operational fleet and strengthen its air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities, while ensuring that it would not alter the military balance in the region. Neither the Saudi press consulted nor the official statements relayed mention any potential reservations from other regional capitals regarding this sale.

Singapour, Friday, September 18, 2026. The US State Department approved on Thursday, September 17, the potential sale of 48 stealth F-35A fighter jets from Lockheed Martin to Saudi Arabia, for an amount estimated by Washington at $24.3 billion, or $30.9 billion Singapore dollars according to the conversion used by the Straits Times. The contract includes 49 Pratt & Whitney F135 engines, communication equipment, spare parts, and logistical support. The US Congress, now notified, must still weigh in; no delivery schedule has been announced.

For the city-state's press, the issue goes beyond a simple arms contract: it is a test of the American doctrine known as "qualitative military edge" for Israel, the only country in the Middle East to have operated the F-35 for over a decade. The Straits Times notes that the sale would mark "a significant policy shift," likely to alter the balance of military forces in the Middle East while putting this American commitment to Tel Aviv to the test. Riyadh, the world's largest customer for American arms, has been demanding the aircraft for years to modernize its air force and counter regional threats, particularly Iranian ones; the kingdom reportedly made a direct request to President Donald Trump in early 2025.

The United States government, on September 18, 2026, notified Congress on Thursday of its approval for the potential sale of up to 48 stealth F-35A fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, a contract that could reach $24.3 billion. The package, reported by Bloomberg, covers Lockheed Martin aircraft, 49 Pratt & Whitney F135 engines, as well as associated training and logistical support. This would be the very first delivery of F-35s to the Saudi kingdom, a file that Riyadh has been carrying for several years.

Bloomberg recalls that Donald Trump himself announced this sale in November, offering Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman "a trophy he had long coveted," on the eve of the latter's visit to the White House. The transaction, still subject to Congressional review now officially notified, thus appears as the culmination of a personal presidential commitment rather than a sole bureaucratic logic.

The Hill, which estimates the contract at $24 billion, emphasizes that this approval comes "despite concerns from defense officials and lawmakers," without specifying the nature of these reservations or the names of the concerned elected officials. The Defense & National Security newsletter from the media presents the news as the highlight of the day in Washington's security relations in the Middle East.