Lockheed Martin is non-committal about US President Donald Trump’s announcement that he will approve the sale of F-35 fighters to Saudi Arabia.
“We appreciate his support of the F-35 programme,” Steve Sheehy, vice-president of aeronautics strategy & business development, said at the Dubai air show on 18 November.
“This is right now still in a government-to-government position, and that’s what we see at the moment,” he adds.
Sheehy made the remarks during an F-35 briefing, adding that the Foreign Military Sales process that covers all international F-35 sales is a government process.
Riyadh has long sought to obtain the F-35, and Trump is set to meet Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington DC, on 20 November.
“We will be doing that,” Trump said on 17 November. “We will be selling F-35s.”
Trump offered no details about fleet numbers, but Reuters has reported that Riyadh has sought 48 examples.
The focus of Sheehy’s presentation was improvements in the F-35 programme.
He observes that 1,245 deliveries have been made with 1 million flying hours accumulated, and that the fleet is increasingly reliable.
He also outlines that the aircraft now operates from dozens of bases globally.
The F-35B short take-off and vertical landing variant and the F-35C carrier-capable version can also operate from 12 aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships. By 2030, the F-35B/C will be operable from 24 vessels globally.
