What to know about the F-35 fighter jet that Trump is selling to Saudi Arabia : NPR

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said he has agreed to sell the country's most advanced fighter jet to Saudi Arabia despite concerns that China could gain access to the plane's vaunted American technology.

The sale to the Middle Eastern country, whose main trading partner is China, was confirmed Tuesday during a visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington.

Some Republican administration officials also fear that selling the F-35 to Saudi Arabia would undermine Israel's qualitative military advantage over its neighbors, especially at a time when Trump depends on Israeli support for the success of his Gaza peace plan.

Israel, which used the F-35 in its 12-day war against Iran in June, is among 19 other countries that already have the aircraft or have agreements to buy it.

It was nearly 20 years ago when the first F-35 Lightning strike fighter rolled off the production line in Fort Worth, Texas, and it was hailed as a technological breakthrough and called a military money pit.

Since then, more than 1,200 stealth aircraft have been produced, which Lockheed Martin says supports nearly 300,000 jobs across its supply chain in 49 states and Puerto Rico. The aircraft were transferred to the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.

Here's what you need to know about the F-35:

A fighter desired by many

Marines have used F-35s to strike enemy targets in Afghanistan, and Italian F-35s were part of NATO's response in September to Russian aircraft in Estonian airspace.

But the short-nosed, twin-tailed aircraft has been criticized since its inception, in part because it was designed to meet the different needs of three different branches of the military. For example, the Navy launches them from aircraft carriers, and the Marine Corps version can take off and land like a helicopter.

They are the Pentagon's most expensive spending program ever—each would cost up to $77 million in 2023, according to the Congressional Research Service—though they have been notoriously plagued by cost overruns and delays.

Meanwhile, China may already have at least some intelligence on its planes, albeit several years ago. The Defense Science Board, which advises the Pentagon, released a report in 2013 alleging that Chinese cyberattacks had accessed data from dozens of Pentagon programs, including the Joint Strike Fighter.

The most advanced US fighter

According to Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Center for Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the F-35 is “widely recognized as America's best and most advanced fighter jet.”

Bowman noted that American military systems are constantly updated and improved, countering any possible secrets stolen years ago.

“That’s why you already have 19 partner countries and why countries like Saudi Arabia want it,” Bowman said. “If the plane was so compromised because it was stolen from the Chinese, the Saudis wouldn’t want it.”

First proposed in the 1990s, the F-35 was intended to replace several aging fighters, including the Air Force's workhorse F-16. The aircraft was designed so that pilots could easily switch from bombing to dogfighting during the same mission.

Described as a fifth-generation fighter, its technologies include stealth capabilities and advanced radar and sensors, according to the Congressional Research Service.

“What makes the F-35 especially formidable is the increasing difficulty our adversaries have to detect it,” Bowman said. “So if you can't see it, you can't kill it.”

Bowman said the aircraft is also equipped with advanced sensors to better detect enemies, as well as networking capabilities to communicate with allied aircraft and ground troops during combat.

Each aircraft was expected to be relatively cheap to produce, with all variants assembled on the same assembly line. But as the first F-35 prepared for its maiden flight in 2006, the cost of the program had risen substantially.

High aircraft costs.

The Defense Department estimates that maintaining, operating and modernizing the planned 2,470 aircraft over its 77-year life cycle will cost more than $2 trillion, according to a September Government Accountability Office report.

The report also said Lockheed delivered 110 aircraft last year, all of which were “an average of 238 days late, compared with 61 days in 2023.”

Meanwhile, there were concerns about readiness. In 2023, the rate at which the aircraft could accomplish one of its assigned missions was about 55%, well below program goals, according to the Government Accountability Office. Part of the problem was delays in setting up maintenance facilities, equipment shortages and supply issues.

Dan Grazer, a senior fellow and director of the National Security Reform Program at the Stimson Center, said the F-35 program was ultimately a failure.

He pointed to the plane's stealth coating to avoid radar detection, which he said required extensive maintenance, while the camera system that provides situational awareness also had problems.

“It doesn't matter how much transformational combat capability an aircraft has if it can't be relied upon,” he said.

The F-35 was designed to replace several different older aircraft, Grazer said, noting that it “does a lot of things well, but doesn't do anything great.”

“It also costs a fortune,” he said. “So you're paying a fortune for an aircraft that is actually, in many cases, less capable than the one that came before it.”

Lockheed Martin rejected such criticism.

“The F-35 is a cornerstone of the battlespace for 20 allied nations, delivering peace through strength,” the company said in a statement. “It is battle-tested and offers the most advanced capabilities and technology. With more than 1 million flight hours and more than 1,255 aircraft in service, the F-35 is an essential asset to global security.”