A mockup of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II was seen sporting a Saudi insignia at the keenly watched World Defense Show in Riyadh.
The World Defence Show returned for its third edition on February 8, 2026, with Chinese, Russian, American, and European companies in attendance.
The defence company Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) stated last week that it “will showcase more than 60 national products and capabilities across its various subsidiaries.”
“These include advanced electronics, land systems, aerospace capabilities, command-and-control systems, and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) solutions for various platforms, in addition to the unveiling of new national systems considered among the most prominent of their kind,” it stated.
One of the standout attractions at the World Defense Show 2026 was a full-scale display model of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter, marked with the insignia and flag of the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF).
The exhibit prominently featured the F-35, with markings on the tail and other areas, drawing crowds and highlighting the RSAF’s growing interest in the jet.
The development comes months after Riyadh finally obtained US President Donald Trump’s approval to purchase the aircraft, which it had been pursuing since at least 2017.
The authorisation was granted in November 2025 after Trump signed a “historic strategic defence agreement” with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the White House, and named Saudi Arabia a key non-NATO partner of the United States, as reported by the EurAsian Times at the time.
It is pertinent to note that the authorisation does not automatically translate into a deal, and a formal agreement for the purchase of the aircraft has not yet been signed.
The display of an F-35 mockup with a Saudi flag at Riyadh’s own defence show may be a signal that the two sides are inching closer to signing a deal. However, the mockup could also be a marketing move by Lockheed Martin, coordinated with Saudi authorities.
Neither the United States nor Saudi Arabia has revealed when an official agreement for the purchase would be signed. In fact, some analysts even suspect that the deal may hit rough waters amid opposition from Israel, which is keen to maintain its Qualitative Military Edge (QME) in the region.
The concerns that Saudi Arabia might never really get the F-35 are not without reason. Prior to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) came very close to acquiring the F-35 after Donald Trump approved the deal in his first term.
UAE’s Unfulfilled Quest For F-35
The UAE first expressed interest in the F-35 as early as 2009. It considered the fifth-generation stealth aircraft a natural upgrade over its existing F-16 fleet and to maintain air superiority in the region.
By 2011, Emirati officials reportedly asked the US for briefings on the F-35 aircraft before they could begin negotiations.
The Emirati kingdom publicly expressed its intent to acquire the aircraft at the Dubai Air Show 2017, with the Deputy Air Force Commander Rashid al-Shamsi saying, “We in the UAE already live in a fifth-generation environment. So acquiring the F-35 fighter jet is only a step forward to cope with the fifth-generation mindset.”
Notably, negotiations during this period progressed quietly. The progress was slow due to the need to preserve Israel’s qualitative military edge (QME) in the region.
However, talks started to gain momentum in 2018, with the UAE pushing for the F-35 as part of broader US-UAE defence ties. The Emiratis believed that the purchase would reinforce ties between the two countries, noting that it already hosted American personnel at the Al-Dhafra Air Base and was the only Arab nation to have participated in six coalition operations with the US since the Gulf War in 1991.
“The UAE requirement for the F-35 is the same as Israel’s. The UAE needs a fifth-generation multi-role fighter to protect the nation and the shared security interests of the US and its friends in the region. With its stealth, standoff, and sensor capabilities, the F-35 provides a critical advantage over increasingly sophisticated adversaries,” read a UAE Embassy document.
A big breakthrough in the UAE’s quest for the F-35 came in 2020, with the signing of the Abraham Accords, the agreement brokered by the Donald Trump administration during his first term as President.
The agreement normalised relations between the UAE and Israel, and reports stated that Israel had clarified it would not oppose the sale of “specific US-made weapon systems” to the Emiratis, a potential reference to the F-35.
Soon after, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied that the normalisation agreement included a provision green-lighting a US sale of advanced weaponry to the Gulf nation. However, an Emirati official rebuffed his denial, claiming Netanyahu had approved the deal as part of the pact.
By late October 2020, reports stated that the US State Department had informed Congress that it had approved the sale of 50 Lockheed Martin F-35 jets to the United Arab Emirates. The aircraft were reportedly offered as a package deal alongside the MQ-9 Reaper manufactured by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.
In January 2021, just before President Donald Trump’s term ended, the UAE finalised letters of offer and acceptance (LOAs) with the US. The two sides locked in costs, specifications, and delivery schedules for the 50 F-35A jets.
However, just as the UAE was close to buying the advanced stealth fighter jet, the incoming Biden Administration threw a spanner in the works, pausing the deal for review, citing concerns over end-use restrictions and regional stability.
Things changed again within a few months as the State Department confirmed in April 2021 that it would proceed with the sale. Following this, the commitment was reaffirmed in November 2021, but a deal appeared to be crumbling.
The major reason was the UAE’s growing ties with China.
In 2021, US intelligence officials disclosed an alleged construction of a Chinese military facility in the UAE, which was reportedly stopped after US intervention.
The relationship between the US and the UAE, nonetheless, was strained between 2021 and 2022, particularly after Abu Dhabi decided against excluding China’s Huawei from 5G trials despite intensive lobbying by Washington.
This was a pressing concern for the US because setting up a mobile phone network with numerous cell towers near F-35 bases could enable China to track and gather information about the F-35s.
In response, the UAE assured the US with its track record of safeguarding American military technology, stating that it had been operating the F-16 fighter jet for several years.
However, frustrated with the delays, the Emirati kingdom went fighter jet shopping again.
In early December 2021, the UAE signed a contract with France’s Dassault Aviation to buy 80 Rafale F4 jets, the latest variant of the 4.5-generation fighter aircraft, and dumped the F-35.
“Technical requirements, sovereign operational restrictions, and cost/benefit analysis led to the re-assessment,” a UAE official said at the time.
By 2022, the potential F-35 deal was described as “comatose” but potentially revivable, with UAE officials expressing hope for resumed talks.
In 2023, the former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicated openness to discussions, including on F-35s. Separately, Stanley Brown, the former principal deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, said the deal was alive.
Ahead of the 2024 US election and Donald Trump’s return to power, the prospect of the UAE purchasing F-35s resurfaced. However, all speculation about the “potential acquisition” of the F-35 was dismissed in September 2024 by an Emirati official, who clarified that the kingdom was not looking to resume talks with the US on the F-35, regardless of who was elected to the White House.
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