Canberra, November 25 - Australian F-35 exports are under intense scrutiny following the US government's approval of advanced fighter jet sales to Saudi Arabia, raising alarms over human rights implications and Australia's deep involvement in the global supply chain for these stealth aircraft. As a key partner in the Joint Strike Fighter program, Australia manufactures critical components, ranging from aerostructures to advanced avionics, that are integrated into every F-35 Lightning II produced worldwide. This collaboration, touted as a cornerstone of Australia's defense industry, now faces backlash from human rights advocates who argue that exporting these parts effectively arms a nation accused of war crimes in Yemen and the extrajudicial killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. With the Trump administration greenlighting up to 48 F-35A jets for Riyadh, complete with downgraded capabilities to preserve Israel's qualitative military edge, the decision spotlights Australia's indirect role in bolstering Saudi Arabia's air power, potentially fueling regional conflicts in the Middle East.
The controversy intensifies as international law experts invoke Australia's obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty, which prohibits exports of weapons or components if there's an overriding risk of their use in violations of humanitarian law. Professor Donald Rothwell from the Australian National University warns that Australia's supply of F-35 parts could implicate Canberra in any misuse by Saudi forces, given the kingdom's documented airstrikes on Yemeni civilians that have killed thousands since 2015. Human rights groups like Amnesty International Australia and the Medical Association for the Prevention of War have condemned the arrangement, labeling it "reckless" and calling for a halt to all exports. Despite Australia's issuance of over 20 export permits to Saudi Arabia in the past year alone, government officials maintain that components are non-lethal and subject to rigorous end-use monitoring by Lockheed Martin, the program's lead contractor. Critics, however, decry this as a "blank cheque," pointing to lax oversight where only 1.6 percent of Australia's 18,000-plus export authorizations undergo targeted checks, with 30 percent revealing inconsistencies.
Geopolitically, the F-35 sale to Saudi Arabia marks a seismic shift, upending decades of US policy that withheld these fifth-generation stealth fighters from Arab states to avoid upsetting Israel's strategic dominance. Priced at around $82.5 million per unit, the deal, still pending formal congressional approval, aims to deepen US-Saudi ties amid efforts to lure Riyadh into the Abraham Accords for normalization with Israel. For Australia, which operates 72 F-35s in its Royal Australian Air Force fleet, the exports underscore a delicate balancing act: bolstering alliances in the Indo-Pacific while navigating ethical pitfalls in the volatile Gulf region. US intelligence reports heighten concerns, flagging risks of sensitive F-35 technology leaking to China via Saudi partnerships, a scenario that could erode the jet's edge and strain Australia's own program investments exceeding $17 billion.
As calls mount for transparency and reform, Australia's F-35 exports serve as a litmus test for its arms trade ethics in an era of escalating global tensions. Advocacy groups urge the Albanese government to impose human rights vetoes on future deals, arguing that complicity in controversial sales undermines Australia's international standing. With Yemen's humanitarian crisis ongoing and Saudi Arabia's human rights record unamended, the scrutiny could prompt a reevaluation of defense export policies, ensuring that Australia's technological prowess doesn't inadvertently fuel atrocities abroad. Ultimately, this saga highlights the intertwined fates of innovation, security, and morality in the high-stakes world of F-35 fighter jet diplomacy.