A Defense Intelligence Agency assessment examined Chinese personnel's access to Saudi bases and Chinese equipment in the kingdom's telecommunications networks. The proposed $24 billion deal for 48 stealth fighters is under preliminary review in Congress.
U.S. intelligence officials are warning that selling F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia could give China an opening to gain access to classified American military technology, The New York Times reported Thursday night.
According to the report, the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has spent recent months preparing a detailed assessment of the risks involved in the deal. The review examined the access Chinese military personnel have to Saudi bases, as well as the presence of Chinese technology in the kingdom's telecommunications infrastructure.
The central question is whether the stealth fighter's sensitive systems can be protected over the long term. The assessment questioned whether Washington and Riyadh could ensure that only authorized American and Saudi personnel would have access to the sites where the F-35s would be maintained, with particular attention to the aircraft's advanced radar and intelligence systems.
U.S. intelligence also raised concerns about equipment from the Chinese technology companies Huawei and ZTE in Saudi infrastructure, and questioned whether Riyadh would be willing to remove that equipment from networks and facilities connected to sensitive defense systems.
The proposed deal covers 48 F-35 fighters and an alternative engine, at an estimated total cost of about $24 billion.
President Donald Trump announced his support for the sale in November 2025, ahead of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the White House. In June, the State Department sent the package to two congressional committees for preliminary review.
The concerns carry added weight because of Saudi Arabia's security ties with Beijing. While the kingdom remains a major customer of the American defense industry, it has also bought ballistic missiles from China over the years and has maintained missile cooperation with Beijing.
This is not the first time a Gulf state's relationship with China has complicated a stealth fighter sale. In 2020, similar reservations surfaced after Trump agreed to advance an F-35 sale to the United Arab Emirates. That deal later stalled, in part because of American concerns about Abu Dhabi's ties to Beijing.
