Shut Out of the F-35 Club, Saudi Arabia Turns to Turkey’s Stealth Jet in Defiant Power Pivot
Riyadh’s long-standing interest in acquiring the F-35 Lightning II, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, has been obstructed since 2017 by a complex web of geopolitical opposition and legislative resistance in Washington, despite Saudi Arabia’s role as one of America’s most significant defence clients.
(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – Saudi Arabia’s increasingly assertive pursuit of fifth-generation combat aircraft has taken a new turn as the Kingdom eyes up to 100 Turkish-built KAAN stealth fighters, a move widely viewed as both a response to the collapse of its F-35 ambitions and a strategic recalibration aimed at reducing reliance on the United States.
Riyadh’s long-standing interest in acquiring the F-35 Lightning II, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, has been obstructed since 2017 by a complex web of geopolitical opposition and legislative resistance in Washington, despite Saudi Arabia’s role as one of America’s most significant defence clients.
The most entrenched resistance comes not from Washington’s defence establishment itself, but from Israel and its powerful lobbying machine on Capitol Hill, which fears the F-35’s export to Riyadh would diminish Tel Aviv’s tightly guarded “Qualitative Military Edge” (QME) over its Arab neighbours.
This strategic doctrine of QME—enshrined in U.S. law—has been the bedrock of American-Israeli military relations and has long served to ensure Israel’s dominance in high-end warfare technology in the region.
In 2020, Israel went so far as to vehemently oppose the proposed sale of 50 F-35s to the United Arab Emirates, even though the deal had been personally endorsed by then-President Donald Trump under the Abraham Accords umbrella.
For Israel, the export of the F-35 to Arab states represents a potential shift in the regional balance of power, threatening its monopoly on low-observable (stealth) combat capability and networked warfare systems.
This anxiety also extends to air-to-air missile technology, with Israel opposing the export of long-range beyond-visual-range munitions such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM and MBDA Meteor to Egypt’s F-16 and Rafale fleets and to other countries in the region.
The Saudi delegation poses in front of the KAAN fighter jet recently.“KAAN”
Further complicating Riyadh’s F-35 bid were reported preconditions imposed by Washington, including the politically explosive requirement that Saudi Arabia formally recognize Israel and normalize diplomatic ties—an overture seen as politically untenable while Israel maintains its occupation of Palestinian territories and continues military operations in Gaza.
As a result, Saudi Arabia has pivoted its focus toward Turkey’s next-generation KAAN fighter, not only as a technological substitute but as part of a broader defence diversification policy designed to hedge against over-dependence on any single supplier, particularly the United States.
Currently, the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) fields a powerful but mixed inventory of American F-15s and European Eurofighter Typhoons, and the addition of the KAAN would deepen its operational flexibility while signalling a fundamental evolution in Riyadh’s strategic procurement philosophy.
This aircraft diversification aligns with Saudi Arabia’s shifting geopolitical calculus, particularly during the Biden administration, which ushered in a noticeable cooling of U.S.-Saudi defence ties over human rights concerns, the Yemen conflict, and oil production disagreements.
In response, Riyadh has accelerated strategic outreach to other great powers, including China and Russia, securing an array of advanced weapons platforms and establishing itself as a pivotal player in a multipolar arms market.
“KAAN”
According to a recent Defence Security Asia report, Saudi Arabia has discreetly committed US$2.3 billion (RM10.1 billion) to procure 39 Pantsir-S1M air defence systems from Russia, a move emblematic of Riyadh’s willingness to look beyond traditional Western suppliers.
This covert transaction was exposed by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), citing internal documentation from Ruselectronics, a major subsidiary of the Russian defence conglomerate ROSTEC.
The comprehensive package not only includes the 39 Pantsir-S1M units but also ten mobile command posts, hundreds of missiles, logistics vehicles, and integrated battlefield communication systems, enhancing Saudi Arabia’s layered air defence network.
The Pantsir-S1M, known for its ability to counter UAVs, cruise missiles, and precision-guided munitions, offers a formidable boost to Saudi Arabia’s short-to-medium range air defence posture in an era of increasingly asymmetric aerial threats.
Saudi Arabia’s interest in the KAAN, which is being developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), was first reported in December last year and would represent one of the largest non-Western fighter acquisitions in the Kingdom’s history.
According to defence insiders, the potential deal was explored during an official visit to Turkey by the Commander of the Royal Saudi Air Force, Prince Turki bin Bandar Al Saud, underscoring the seriousness of the ongoing negotiations.
“KAAN” during its second flight.
During his high-level meetings, Prince Turki engaged with top executives from Turkish defence giants including Roketsan, Aselsan, and TAI—the three pillars of Turkey’s rapidly advancing military-industrial complex.
“Prince Turki’s visit to Turkey offered him and the Saudi delegation the latest insights into the KAAN fighter’s capabilities, as well as strategic cooperation proposals related to the fifth-generation jet,” according to reports from international defence media.
The discussions reportedly encompassed proposals for technology transfer and licensed local assembly, marking a potential milestone in Saudi Arabia’s ambition to develop indigenous aerospace capabilities through industrial partnerships.
Such collaboration would also strengthen bilateral ties between Ankara and Riyadh, both of which are positioning themselves as regional powerbrokers amid the shifting security architecture of the Middle East and beyond.
This burgeoning Saudi-Turkish defence cooperation echoes a similar milestone from July 18 last year, when Saudi Arabia signed a US$3 billion (RM13.5 billion) deal to acquire the Akinci MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) unmanned aerial vehicle from Baykar Technology.
That deal—the largest defence export contract in Turkish history—cemented Ankara’s status as a rising force in the global UAV market and demonstrated Riyadh’s growing confidence in Turkish defence manufacturing.
“KAAN”“KAAN”.
Turkey’s own air force is projected to operate more than 100 KAAN fighters once the aircraft enters serial production, providing a clear signal of domestic confidence in the platform’s performance and operational viability.
As the prime contractor for the KAAN program, TAI is spearheading Turkey’s ambition to join the elite group of nations capable of producing fifth-generation stealth combat aircraft—an ambition launched in 2016 with the support of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The Turkish defence firm is expected to deliver the first 20 KAAN Block 10 aircraft to the Turkish Air Force by 2028, setting the stage for a transformative leap in Ankara’s indigenous airpower capabilities.
By 2029, TAI aims to achieve a production rate of two KAAN fighters per month, which would translate to an annual revenue stream of approximately US$2.4 billion (RM9.6 billion), reinforcing the aircraft’s commercial and strategic relevance.
The KAAN, which combines stealth shaping, advanced avionics, supercruise capability, and next-generation sensors, is slated to replace over 200 ageing F-16s in Turkish service, effectively becoming the backbone of Turkey’s future air combat fleet.
