IC Oversight & Authorities — 2026-09-20

DIA Assessment Warns Chinese Espionage Could Compromise F-35 Technology in Saudi Arabia Sale

BLUFCongressional objections to the Saudi F-35 sale will very likely fail to produce a blocking resolution during the review period, though espionage concerns may drive narrower conditions on Huawei-linked infrastructure access.

The State Department notified Congress on Thursday that it approved a potential $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets and 49 Pratt & Whitney F135 engines to Saudi Arabia, which would make the kingdom the second Middle East operator of the aircraft after Israel 1234. The department stated the sale "will not alter the military balance in the region" 12. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi cited intelligence-community warnings that the transfer could expose F-35 technology to China, referencing a New York Times report that intelligence analysts had raised concerns about Chinese espionage through Saudi Arabia's use of Huawei technology or its broader partnership with Beijing 134. The sale, which still requires congressional approval and would take years to deliver, follows Trump's November announcement of the deal and builds on a $142 billion arms package agreed during Trump's May 2025 Riyadh visit 12.

Analysis
The sale will very likely clear Congress's 30-day review period without a joint resolution of disapproval blocking or conditioning it, since disapproval efforts against recent Saudi arms packages have consistently failed to gather floor votes and no broader coalition beyond individual statements has yet formed; Krishnamoorthi's objection points toward a push for safeguards on Huawei-linked infrastructure rather than an outright veto, and the administration's rebuttal that the sale won't alter the regional balance signals it is prepared to defend the package through review. We hold high confidence in this judgment on that precedent. All four outlets confirming the notification trace the espionage warning to the same secondhand citation, limiting independent verification, and the China framing may serve as political cover for longstanding concern over preserving Israel's qualitative military edge rather than reflecting fresh intelligence. A clean review period lets Lockheed and Pratt & Whitney proceed toward contracting; conditions attaching would force the Defense Security Cooperation Agency to renegotiate export-control terms first, delaying fielding.

4 sources