US Approved $24B Saudi F-35 Deal. Intelligence Community is Concerned

U.S. intelligence agencies worry China could gain access to sensitive F-35 technology through espionage or its growing security relationship with Saudi Arabia as Washington advances a $24.3 billion sale of the fighter jets to Riyadh.

The State Department approved the proposed package on Thursday, covering 48 F-35s, 49 engines, communications equipment, spare parts and other support.

The transaction still requires congressional approval.

Pentagon Flags Security Risks

A Defense Intelligence Agency assessment issued months ago examined Chinese military access to Saudi bases and the kingdom’s reliance on Chinese technology across parts of its telecommunications infrastructure, according to a U.S. official.

The report questioned whether Washington and Riyadh could establish sufficiently secure facilities for systems associated with the F-35, according to The New York Times.

Its findings have circulated across administration agencies and congressional offices alongside assessments from other U.S. intelligence bodies.

The D.I.A. had also issued a broader assessment in the fall of 2025 examining similar risks while the administration considered the sale.

Pentagon officials are particularly focused on safeguarding the aircraft’s radar and surveillance systems.

The latest assessment said access to facilities containing F-35 technology should be limited to Saudi and American officers and contractors, according to a U.S. official.

It also raised whether Riyadh would accept tighter restrictions on contacts with Chinese military and intelligence personnel and entities linked to them.

Another issue is whether Saudi Arabia would remove equipment supplied by Huawei and ZTE from telecommunications networks, routers and defense installations.

China Ties Complicate the Deal

Saudi Arabia already maintains significant defense links with China.

The kingdom purchases ballistic missiles from Beijing, while the Chinese military is helping Saudi authorities develop missile-production capabilities and improve missile operations.

Those ties have previously drawn scrutiny in Washington. Democratic lawmakers raised concerns over the program in a June 2022 letter to then-president Joseph R. Biden Jr.

The current intelligence warnings echo concerns raised over a previous U.S. attempt to sell F-35s to the United Arab Emirates.

Trump’s first administration agreed to the UAE sale in 2020, but U.S. intelligence officials later focused on Abu Dhabi’s growing military, intelligence, and technology relationships with China. U.S. officials eventually ended the sales process.

Approval Advances

Saudi Arabia appealed directly to President Donald Trump for F-35s in early 2025 after seeking the aircraft for years.

Trump announced the planned transaction in November, one day before hosting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House.

The State Department later sent the package to congressional committees as part of the approval process and has now cleared the potential $24.3 billion sale.

“The proposed F-35 sale reflects the strength and enduring nature of the Saudi-U.S. strategic partnership and the continued advancement of our defense cooperation,” the Saudi Embassy said on X.

Congress remains the next hurdle.

Lawmakers and congressional aides have pressed the administration over concerns identified by U.S. intelligence agencies, while previous arms transactions with Riyadh have faced scrutiny following the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The sale would also test Washington’s policy of preserving Israel’s congressionally mandated “qualitative military edge.”

Israel is the only Middle Eastern country currently operating the F-35 and has built several squadrons around the aircraft. Some Israeli officials have raised concerns over the proposed Saudi transaction.