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China’s aggressive campaign to steal American military technology is emerging as a central concern in the debate over whether the United States should sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, according to experts and retired top military commanders.
Gen. (Ret.) Charles Wald, a former US Air Force officer and former deputy commander of EUCOM, said the United States had already rejected the United Arab Emirates and Turkey over concerns about exploiting Chinese technology.
“We told Turkey that they will not get the F-35. We told the United Arab Emirates that they will not get it because there is concern that there may be a transfer of technology to China,” Wald said. “That would probably be the biggest problem if Saudi Arabia got the F-35… Not because they would give it to the Chinese. Because the Chinese could exploit through intelligence, get capability from that, but I’m not as worried as some,” Wald said during a briefing at 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, in Washington. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)
China expert Gordon Chang said Beijing has already demonstrated its ability to penetrate American defense programs and should be assumed to be targeting the F-35 again. “We should assume that China already has everything. They already stole the entire plane once. They probably did it again,” Chang told Fox News Digital.
He argued that Washington must balance the risks with the strategic benefits of strengthening ties with Riyadh. “We need to cement the relationship with the crown prince, especially if it helps him sign an Abraham Accord. Have F-35s dismantled,” he said.
He added that other American partners may present even greater concerns. “I’m much more concerned about South Korea getting the plane and giving the plans to China.”
Chinese intelligence services have been involved for years in efforts to harness American military and aerospace technology, including stealth designs, propulsion systems and advanced avionics. US officials have previously linked Chinese cyber actors to thefts targeting major US defense programs, including components similar to those found in fifth-generation fighters.
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An F-35A Lightning II aircraft assigned to Hill Air Force Base, Utah, prepares to be refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 459th Air Refueling Wing during a flight to Graf Ignatievo Air Base, Bulgaria, April 28, 2017. (US Air Force)
In that context, the United States is weighing whether to approve Saudi Arabia’s request for the F-35 as part of a broader negotiation that includes defense guarantees and possible diplomatic advances with Israel.
(Retired) Lieutenant Gene. Robert Ashley, former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said the United States uses protocols for tracking foreign military sales to reduce risk, but the protections are not perfect. “One of the things we do through foreign military sales is end-use case tracking protocol,” Ashley said. “We look very closely at how these types of advanced systems are used… but they are not absolute.”
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In this April 12, 2018, file photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks after reviewing the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy fleet in the South China Sea. (Li Gang/Xinhua via AP, File)
Despite the threat from China, retired commanders said they do not believe a Saudi acquisition of the F-35 would undermine Israel’s qualitative military advantage.
Wald emphasized that Israeli pilots, planners and engineers maintain a superior level of training and innovation. “There is a big difference between Israel’s actual pilot capacity and that of other countries,” Wald said. He added that Israel has integrated its own improvements into the plane. “The Israelis modified their own F-35 a little… created or developed [additional capabilities] just before the attack on Iran.”
An Israeli Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter jet flies overhead during an air show in Tel Aviv on April 26, 2023. (Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images)
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Wald noted that even if approved, Riyadh would not receive the plane for years. “At the very least, there’s probably a five-year window before that happens if they get the F-35,” he said.
Ashley and Wald said that in the long term, additional F-35s in the region could improve shared situational awareness and strengthen collective defenses against Iran. Retired Vice Adm. Mark Fox said the fighter’s data-sharing architecture means more planes in allied hands improves overall performance. “The unique thing about the F-35 is that it communicates with all the other F-35s,” Fox said. “Having more F-35s in the region actually increases coalition capability.”