US advances $24.3bn F-35 sale to Saudi Arabia despite China concerns

The United States has taken a further step toward selling 48 F-35 Lightning II fighters to Saudi Arabia, in a package valued at $24.3 billion. The State Department formally notified Congress of the proposed transfer on September 17, 2026, a day after accounts surfaced of US intelligence worries about Riyadh's military and technological ties with Beijing.

Should the deal go through, Saudi Arabia would become the second Middle East operator of the stealth fighter, after Israel, and the first in the Gulf. For the Royal Saudi Air Force, whose combat fleet is built around the F-15, the aircraft would add stealth, advanced sensors and networked warfare capabilities.

The notification is the latest stage in a process that predates it. President Donald Trump confirmed in November 2025 that he intended to sell F-35s to Riyadh, ahead of a White House visit by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The proposed package then went to two congressional committees for informal review in June 2026.

Questions remain over how Saudi Arabia would safeguard some of the most sensitive technology in the US inventory. A Defense Intelligence Agency assessment, described in a recent report, raised the prospect of Chinese access to Saudi air bases and noted the kingdom's use of telecommunications equipment from Huawei and ZTE. The assessment examined whether the two countries could properly protect facilities where F-35 technology would be housed, and looked at possible limits on Chinese military and intelligence personnel entering Saudi installations.