US to sell Arab states arms worth $5bn

The US plans to sell arms worth $4.6 billion to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman.

The US plans to sell Black Hawks to the UAE and Bahrain

The announcement came two weeks after the US said it would sell Israel its latest supply of JP-8 aviation fuel valued at up to $210 million to help Israeli warplanes “keep peace and security in the region”.

In the newly proposed sale, battle tanks worth $2.9 billion will be sold to Saudi Arabia to protect their critical infrastructure.

AH-64 Apache helicopters worth $400 million would also go to Saudi Arabia.

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain would get UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, the UAE $808 million worth and Bahrain $252 million worth.

Jordan would get a potential $156 million in upgrades to 1,000 of its M113 A1 armoured personnel carriers.

Javelin anti-tank missiles worth $48million would go to Oman under the deals put forward by the Pentagon’s defence security co-operation agency which administers US government-to-government arms sales.

Notices of proposed US arms sales are required by US law once they pass certain value thresholds.

They do not mean that a sale has been concluded.

Congress may block a sale if both houses pass resolutions of disapproval within 30 days of formal notification. 

Source: News Agencies