U.S. clears potential $24.3B F-35 sale to Saudi Arabia despite security concerns – NBC News

U.S. clears potential $24.3B F-35 sale to Saudi Arabia despite security concerns  NBC News

The State Department has approved a potential $24.3 billion sale to Saudi Arabia for 48 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter jet and related equipment, the agency said in a news release, as the critical U.S. ally confronts a new front in the war with Iran. Saudi Arabia has long pursued the F-35’s but to date Israel has been the only country in the Middle East to secure access to Lockheed Martin’s fighter jet considered the most lethal, stealthy and survivable aircraft in the world. “The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the military balance in the region,” the State Department said in a news release.

Congress was officially notified Thursday of the possible transfer of the advanced military aircraft to Saudi Arabia and some lawmakers have already raised concerns that the technology behind it could be acquired or stolen by China, which has a military partnership with the kingdom. “The Trump Administration should not move forward with its proposed sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia 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,” Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., said in a social media post. “Beijing has spent decades stealing American intellectual property and technology to close the