The United States is ready to offer Saudi Arabia an arms package worth more than $100 billion, citing six sources who said the proposal is being prepared for announcement during US President Donald Trump's visit to the kingdom in May, Reuters reports, writes UNN.
Details
The proposed package comes after former US President Joe Biden's administration unsuccessfully tried to strike a defense pact with Riyadh as part of a broad deal that would have normalized Saudi Arabia's relations with Israel.
Biden's proposal offered access to more modern US weaponry in exchange for ending the purchase of Chinese weapons and restricting Beijing's investment in the country. Reuters was unable to establish whether the Trump administration's proposal included similar requirements.
A US Department of Defense official said: "Our defense relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is stronger than ever under President Trump's leadership. Supporting our security cooperation remains an important component of this partnership, and we will continue to work with Saudi Arabia to meet its defense needs."
In his first term, Trump hailed arms sales to Saudi Arabia as a boon to US jobs.
Lockheed Martin Corp may supply a range of modern weapons systems, including C-130 transport aircraft, two sources said. One source said Lockheed would also supply missiles and radars.
RTX Corp, formerly known as Raytheon Technologies, is also expected to play a significant role in the package, which will include supplies from other major US defense contractors such as Boeing Co, Northrop Grumman Corp and General Atomics, four sources said.
Reuters was unable to immediately establish how many of the proposed deals were new. Many have been in the works for some time, two sources said. For example, the kingdom first requested information on General Atomics drones in 2018, they said. In the past 12 months, a $20 billion deal for MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones from General Atomics and other aircraft has been in focus, according to one of the sources.
Several defense company executives are considering traveling to the region as part of a delegation, three sources said.
A potential deal on Lockheed F-35 aircraft is expected to be discussed, in which the kingdom has reportedly been interested for many years, three sources said, while downplaying the likelihood of an F-35 deal being signed during the trip.
The United States ensures that its close ally Israel receives more advanced American weapons than Arab states, giving it what is called a "qualitative military edge" (QME) over its neighbors.
Israel has owned the F-35 for nine years, creating several squadrons.
Addition
The US has long supplied Saudi Arabia with weapons. In 2017, Trump offered the kingdom sales worth about $110 billion.
As of 2018, only $14.5 billion in sales had been initiated, and Congress began to question the deals in light of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
In 2021, under Biden, Congress imposed a ban on the sale of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia over the Khashoggi murder and to pressure the kingdom to wind down the war in Yemen, which has resulted in heavy civilian casualties.
Under US law, major international arms deals must be reviewed by members of Congress before they can be finalized.
The Biden administration began to soften its stance on Saudi Arabia in 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine affected global oil supplies. The ban on the sale of offensive weapons was lifted in 2024, amid close cooperation between Washington and Riyadh following the October 7 Hamas attack to develop a plan for the post-war Gaza Strip.