The US State Department approved a $5 billion Foreign Military Sale to Saudi Arabia on Friday, clearing more than 10,000 precision-guidance kits and general-purpose bombs for the kingdom as it continues to face missile and drone attacks linked to the ongoing US-Israel-Iran war.
The package includes over 5,000 KMU-572 Joint Direct Attack Munition Extended Range (JDAM-ER) kits and a similar number of KMU-556 JDAM guidance kits, along with related logistics support, per the notification submitted to Congress by the State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, AFP reported.
Boeing has been named the primary contractor for the deal.
The State Department said the sale would improve Saudi Arabia's airborne defense capability to counter current and future regional threats, and would also help improve the security of a Major non-NATO Ally, in line with broader US foreign policy objectives in the Gulf.
Saudi Arabia has been repeatedly targeted with drone and missile strikes by Iranian forces and Yemen's Tehran-backed Houthi rebels since the US and Israel launched their war against Iran earlier this year, a conflict that has now stretched on for roughly six months and repeatedly disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The State Department also notified Congress of a separate $750 million sale to Saudi Arabia for 60 Honeywell-made AGT-1500 tank engines to support its M1 Abrams fleet.
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Washington also approved related packages for other regional partners on Friday, including roughly $188 million in F-16 sustainment services for Oman and $150 million for Bell 412EPX helicopters for Iraq.
Under US arms export rules, State Department approval represents congressional notification rather than a finalised contract; lawmakers have a review window during which a sale can, in principle, be blocked, though such objections rarely succeed.
Saudi Arabia remains one of the largest buyers of US weapons systems, and Friday's approvals add to a series of American arms transfers to Gulf states since the Iran conflict escalated earlier this year.
ALSO READ: US-Saudi Nuclear Deal To Be Announced Soon: What Has Emerged So Far
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