F-35 Lightning II Aircraft assigned to the 158th Fighter Wing, Burlington Air National Guard Base, prepare for takeoff, in Burlington, Vermont, April 13, 2022. (Staff Sgt. Cameron Lewis/U.S. Air National Guard via AP)
F-35 Lightning II Aircraft assigned to the 158th Fighter Wing, Burlington Air National Guard Base, prepare for takeoff, in Burlington, Vermont, April 13, 2022. (Staff Sgt. Cameron Lewis/U.S. Air National Guard via AP)
With the US considering the sale of F-35 fighters to Saudi Arabia, there are concerns in the American intelligence community that the jets’ sensitive technology could reach China while at the same time upsetting the balance of power in the Middle East, The New York Times reported Thursday.
A recent Pentagon intelligence report warned, according to The Times, that the proposed sale of 48 F-35 fighters, worth billions of dollars, to Saudi Arabia could inadvertently grant Beijing access to the technology, either by espionage or through burgeoning defense ties.
According to the report, US officials are considering putting in place certain safeguards to prevent China from gaining access to the jets, although it said it was not clear what safeguards, if any, would be included in a sales agreement between the US and Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this month, Reuters reported that the potential sale of the F-35s to Riyadh cleared a key Pentagon hurdle, moving a step closer to completion ahead of an upcoming visit to Washington by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman next week.
The visit is expected to focus mainly on defense issues, as well as the matter of Israel, the Gaza war, and potential normalization with Israel.
According to the Times, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to soon approve the F-35 sale, despite the apparent security concerns, and the deal will then proceed to an interagency review.
The deal will also need further approvals at the cabinet level and a final sign-off from US President Donald Trump.
US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shake hands after exchanging documents during a signing ceremony at the Royal Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025. (AP/Alex Brandon)
Another potential area of concern for US intelligence and defense officials is the possibility that selling the fighter jets to Saudi Arabia will harm Israel’s military dominance in the Middle East, the Times reported.
The US has long ensured that Israel maintains a “qualitative military edge” over its neighbors by selling it more advanced US weapons than the regional Arab states.
The F-35, built with stealth technology that allows it to evade enemy detection, is considered the world’s most advanced fighter jet. Israel has operated the aircraft for nearly a decade, building multiple squadrons, and remains the only Middle Eastern country to possess the weapons system.
Past talks between Saudi Arabia and previous US administrations on the potential sale of the fighters have stalled over issues related to Israel.
Trump has made arms sales to Saudi Arabia a priority since returning to office in January. In May, the United States agreed to sell the kingdom an arms package worth nearly $142 billion, which the White House called “the largest defense cooperation agreement” Washington has ever signed.
Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman said on Thursday that he recently met with Hegseth, as well as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and that the three “reviewed the Saudi-US relations and explored ways to bolster our strategic cooperation.”
Reuters contributed to this report.