Ex-general says Saudis unlikely to leak F-35 tech, but China 'could exploit through intel'

China’s assertive run to bargain American subject exertion is emerging arsenic a cardinal interest successful the statement implicit whether the United States should merchantability F-35 combatant jets to Saudi Arabia, according to experts and retired elder subject commanders.

(Ret.) Gen. Charles Wald, a erstwhile U.S. Air Force serviceman and erstwhile lawman commandant of EUCOM, said the United States had already rejected the United Arab Emirates and Turkey owed to concerns astir Chinese exertion exploitation.

"We told Turkey they’re not going to get the F-35. We told the UAE they’re not going to get it due to the fact that there’s interest that determination could beryllium a transportation of exertion to China," Wald said. "That would astir apt beryllium the biggest contented with Saudi Arabia getting the F-35 … Not due to the fact that they would springiness it to the Chinese. Because the Chinese could exploit done intel, getting capableness disconnected that, but I’m not arsenic disquieted arsenic some," Wald said during a briefing astatine JINSA this week.

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President Donald Trump welcomes Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, successful Washington. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

China adept Gordon Chang said Beijing has already demonstrated its quality to penetrate U.S. defence programs and should beryllium assumed to beryllium targeting the F-35 again. "We should presume China has everything already. They already stole the full level once. They astir apt did it again," Chang told Fox News Digital.

He argued that Washington indispensable equilibrium the risks with the strategical benefits of strengthening ties with Riyadh. "We request to cement the narration with the crown prince, particularly if that helps him motion disconnected connected an Abraham Accord. Let him person stripped-down F-35s," helium said.

He added that different U.S. partners whitethorn contiguous adjacent greater concerns. "I’m overmuch much disquieted astir South Korea having the level and turning implicit the plans to China."

Chinese quality services person been implicated for years successful efforts to harvest American subject and aerospace technology, including stealth designs, propulsion systems, and precocious avionics. U.S. officials person antecedently linked Chinese cyber actors to thefts targeting premier American defence programs, including components resembling those recovered successful fifth-generation fighters.

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An F-35A Lightning II craft assigned to Hill Air Force Base, Utah, prepares to beryllium refueled by a 459th Air Refueling Wing KC-135 Stratotanker during a formation to Graf Ignatievo Air Base, Bulgaria, April 28, 2017.  (U.S. Air Force)

Against that backdrop, the United States is weighing whether to o.k. Saudi Arabia’s petition for the F-35 arsenic portion of a broader dialog that includes defence assurances and imaginable diplomatic advancement with Israel.

(Ret.) Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, erstwhile manager of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said the United States uses overseas subject income monitoring protocols to trim risk, but the protections are not perfect. "One of the things that we bash done overseas subject income is end-use lawsuit monitoring protocol," Ashley said. "We ticker precise intimately however these kinds of precocious systems are utilized … but they’re not absolute."

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In this April 12, 2018, record photograph released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks aft reviewing the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy fleet successful the South China Sea. (Li Gang/Xinhua via AP, File)

Despite the China threat, the retired commanders said they bash not judge a Saudi F-35 acquisition would undermine Israel’s qualitative subject edge.

Wald emphasized that Israeli pilots, planners, and engineers support a superior level of grooming and innovation. "There’s a large quality betwixt the Israeli existent aviator capableness than the different countries retired there," Wald said. He added that Israel has integrated its ain upgrades into the aircraft. "The Israelis modified their ain F-35 a small spot … they created oregon developed [additional capabilities] conscionable anterior to the onslaught connected Iran."

An Israeli Air Force F-35 Lightning II combatant craft flies implicit during an aerial amusement successful Tel Aviv connected April 26, 2023.  (Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images)

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Wald noted that adjacent if approved, Riyadh would not person the craft for years. "At the precise least, there’s astir apt astir a five-year model present earlier that would hap if they got the F-35," helium said.

Ashley and Wald said that successful the agelong term, further F-35s successful the portion could heighten shared situational consciousness and fortify corporate defenses against Iran. Retired Vice Adm. Mark Fox said the fighter’s data-sharing architecture means much craft successful allied hands improves wide performance. "The 1 happening astir F-35 is it talks to each different F-35," Fox said. "Having much F-35s successful the portion really increases the capableness of the coalition."