Saudi Arabia Wants American F-35s. Israel’s Success With Them Shows Why.

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1. Israel has dominated battlefields across the Middle East for the past two years, largely from the air. It has yet to lose a single plane. A major reason is the F-35.

   Now, a promise by the Trump administration to sell the most advanced U.S. aircraft to Saudi Arabia is threatening to remove a pillar of Israel’s uncontested military advantage over its neighbors.

   Read more (unpaywalled link): [https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-saudi-arabia-f-35-fighter-jet-eb770835?st=HqMBKM&mod=wsjreddit](https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-saudi-arabia-f-35-fighter-jet-eb770835?st=HqMBKM&mod=wsjreddit)

2. There’s a long waiting list for the F-35 already. I’d assume the Saudis go at the end of it.

   Also, the Saudis’ record on using and maintaining advanced military hardware isn’t exactly stellar. They had full western support against the Houthis and that didn’t help beat them.

   And finally… it wouldn’t shock me in the slightest to learn that the Israelis have figured out how to detect an F-35 given that they’ve had both the jets and advanced air defense radar this entire time.

   The F-35 is amazing for electronic warfare, battlefield command and control, and of course stealth, but as a dogfighter or even as an attack craft it’s not particularly quick, nimble or well armed.

   Take the stealth away and Israeli F-15’s can probably best it air to air.

   On top of that, the F-35 is supposed to be the centerpiece and quarterback for a very sophisticated battlespace management system. They call it the flying server room.

   Ideally it can go in undetected and relay targeting info to an AWACS or ground based command center who can then work with ground and sea units along with drones and other aircraft to deal with whatever it sees.

   The Saudis don’t have the rest of that infrastructure or the training to manage it, so the F-35 won’t be nearly as effective or useful to them.

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