25 April 25
The United States is poised to offer Saudi Arabia an arms package worth more than $100bn, the Reuters news agency reports, citing six sources familiar with the matter.
The deal is reportedly in the works in advance of a planned trip by US President Donald Trump to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates next month, Reuters reported on Thursday.
Top defence contractors such as Lockheed Martin, RTX Corp, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and General Atomics are reported to be involved in the supply of advanced weapons systems, according to Reuters, and several executives from the companies are expected to join Trump’s delegation for the visit.
The sources cited by Reuters say the contractor could see Riyadh supplied with a range of weapons including C-130 transport aircraft, missiles and radar systems.
It is unlikely, however, that Saudi Arabia will gain access to Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet. Only a select number of countries can buy F-35s from the US, such as NATO allies, Japan, South Korea and Australia.
Neither the White House nor Saudi officials immediately responded to the request for comment, but a US defence official told Reuters that “security cooperation remains an important component” of the US-Saudi relationship. None of the defence contractors named by Reuters replied to queries.
Source: Aljazeera
