U.S. intelligence agencies have warned in internal reports that China could acquire or steal U.S. warplane technology if F-35 jets are sent to Saudi Arabia.
The New York Times•Edward Wong18 Sept
Saudi Arabia has lobbied the US for years to buy F35s, the world's most advanced fighter jet.
BBC18 SeptThe sale could shift regional power dynamics, challenge Israel's military edge, and risk sensitive tech exposure to China via Saudi ties.
CryptoBriefing•Editorial Team18 Sept
Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security The Big Story State Department OKs potential $24B fighter jet sale to Saudis The State Department announced Thursday that it approved a potential $24 billion sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, despite worries from defense officials and lawmakers…
The Hill•Filip Timotija18 Sept
The deal, which needs approval from Congress, comes as Riyadh seeks Washington's help in its war with Yemen's Houthis.
Al Jazeera17 Sept
The approval comes a year after President Donald Trump announced Riyadh would be permitted to buy the highly advanced stealth fighters, though lawmakers could still block the sale.
Breaking Defense•Michael Marrow17 Sept
Deal is a win for Riyadh while it is embroiled in a regional crisis triggered by the Iran war
Trump himself has acknowledged the US need for Canadian aluminum – and has largely exempted metals from new tariffs As trade talks with Canada shambled toward collapse in late August, Donald Trump brayed on Truth Social: “WE DON’T NEED CANADA, THEY NEED US!” But in fact, Canada, like China, has something the US needs badly: critical metals that undergird modern military technology. Canada is the United States’s biggest foreign source of minerals, supplying about $47bin worth each year. Sixty per cent of all the aluminum the US uses each year, for instance, comes from Canada, where mighty, remote rivers provide smelting plants vast quantities of cheap, low-carbon electricity. The US military uses the lightweight metal for everything from shell casings to ship hulls and aircraft fuselage. The Pentagon’s cutting-edge F-35 fighter jet’s airframe is about 40% aluminum. “This country desperately needs aluminum,” Trump complained last month . “We get it all from Canada for the most part, and we need it badly.” Continue reading...
The Guardian•Vince Beiser17 Sept
US intelligence officials have warned that a proposed $24 billion sale of F-35 fighters to Saudi Arabia could…
AeroTime•Stephen Pope17 Sept
The Israeli air force can look forward to yet another bomb type for its F-35 fleet.
Rafael and Lockheed Martin are integrating the Israeli SPICE 1000 stand-off weapon on the F-35, potentially opening the door for the munition to be offered to other Lightning II operators. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has announced that it is integrating its SPICE 1000 air-to-surface munition on the F-35 Lightning II. The integration is being conducted […]
The Aviationist•Stefano D'Urso16 Sept
“It means that the design is solid. It means that we’re ready to move forward from an industrial base as well,” Jill Albertelli, the president of Pratt & Whitney’s military engines business, told Breaking Defense.
Breaking Defense•Michael Marrow15 Sept
Top Air Force officials praised the F-35's warfighting prowess during combat operations in the Middle East despite recent concerns over readiness rates.
‘Red lines’ legislation would forbid defence equipment technology or services being used, includes parts for F-35 fighter jets Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Crossbench MPs including David Pocock and Sophie Scamps will put pressure on the Albanese government to ban Australian goods from being used by the Israeli military – including for F-35 fighter jets – by introducing a bill designed to force it to adhere to international obligations. The group’s “red lines” legislation, to be presented on Monday, would outlaw defence equipment, technology or services being used where they could breach Australia’s international human rights obligations. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Krishani Dhanji13 Sept
The F-35 is by far the most popular Western fighter jet, with more orders than all others combined, including all likely future orders.
U.S. tech company Anduril is pitching two drone types to accompany Poland's envisioned fleets of F-35 fighter jets and Apache attack helicopters.
Patria has completed the assembly of its first F135 fighter jet engine at its newly constructed facility in Linnavuori, Nokia, Finland, marking a key step in Finland’s involvement with the global F-35 programme.
Pratt & Whitney is investing $25 million to expand a facility in Poland that supports production of precision…
AeroTime•Ian Molyneaux4 Sept
The F-22 and F-35 share stealth technology, but five key design choices make them very different fighters.
After years of declining unit costs, the Pentagon projects higher real prices for all three F-35 variants while Block 4, engine and power upgrades add billions to the program
Air Data News•Ricardo Meier29 Aug