US intelligence services assume that Chinese specialists will have the opportunity to study the F-35 fighter-bombers if Washington sells them to Saudi Arabia, American officials said, reports The New York Times (NYT).

According to them, intelligence analysts predict that China will be able to master F-35 technology through espionage in Saudi Arabia, or through cooperation with the kingdom in the military and security sectors.

The special services had warned about the same risks back in 2020, when the US, as part of the normalization of relations between Israel and the UAE, was discussing the sale of F-35s to the Emirates. As a result, Washington had scrapped the deal. Later, in the fall of 2025, when the US administration was considering selling these aircraft to Riyadh, the US Department of Defense Intelligence Agency had expressed similar concerns about Saudi Arabia.

This time, in the latest report of the Intelligence Agency, Pentagon officials drew attention to the access of the Chinese military to Saudi military bases and the use of Chinese technology by the kingdom in telecommunications.

The US intelligence community raised the question of whether the US and Saudi Arabia would be able to ensure the secrecy of F-35 technology, especially in terms of radar and surveillance equipment. The Intelligence Agency urged to ensure that only the US and Saudi military and their contractors would have access to the facilities where the F-35s would be deployed.

According to the NYT, US intelligence agencies are not sure that the Saudi command will agree to limit contacts with Chinese military personnel and spies, as well as to remove equipment manufactured by Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE from military facilities and telecommunications networks. In addition, Saudi Arabia buys ballistic missiles from China. Also, Beijing helps Riyadh master the technology for their production, build factories, and train in the use of this weapon.

Israel, which is the only country in the Middle East operating these fighter-bombers, also has expressed concerns about the sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia.

The NYT notes that, despite calls from American politicians to limit military aid to Israel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio may bypass the process of approving the relevant contracts in Congress and expedite the delivery of weapons to the Israeli side. If Congress rejects a similar agreement with Riyadh, Rubio could resort to the same method.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is trying to increase the kingdom's military potential amid renewed fighting with the Houthis.