US approves $5B JDAM sale to Saudi Arabia

The US State Department has approved several potential arms deals for Middle Eastern partners Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Iraq, with a total value of approximately $6.1 billion. The largest proposed sale involves Saudi Arabia purchasing over 10,000 extended-range Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits and associated equipment for $5 billion.

This prospective transaction, supplied by Boeing, includes a similar number of unguided bombs. These bombs are split almost evenly between 500-pound and 2,000-pound munitions. When equipped with a JDAM guidance kit, these bombs become precision-guided weapons.

Saudi Arabia's munitions stockpile

Saudi Arabia's move to acquire JDAMs follows heavy aerial bombardment in its conflict with Iran, which has reportedly depleted stocks of key precision munitions. This assessment comes from the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The JDAM is often considered a cheaper alternative to more advanced weapons. Boeing has stated its extended-range variant is limited to a distance of over 45 miles, requiring aircraft to fly relatively close to their targets.

In a separate notification, the State Department also cleared a potential $750 million sale to Saudi Arabia for 60 AGT-1500 tank engines. These engines power the M1 Abrams tank. The prime contractor for this deal would be Honeywell.

Regional partner deals

Oman has been approved to buy $188 million worth of sustainment services for its fleet of F-16 fighter jets. The State Department notice states that "no principal contractor" is associated with this potential sale. Support, it says, "will be provided by U.S. Government or contracted vendors based upon requirements as they are determined." Oman, a mediator in the Iran conflict, has also been the target of public criticism from former President Donald Trump.

For Iraq, the State Department authorized the possible sale of Bell 412EPX helicopters in a deal estimated at $150 million. Bell-Textron would be the primary contractor. This announcement follows a similar $800 million helicopter sale for Baghdad, cleared earlier in the week, which included the Bell 412EPX and 407M models. A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on the consecutive announcements.

The approval process

Each sale announced was issued as a congressional notification and is not final. Quantities and dollar totals often shift during negotiations with the foreign governments. The notifications technically provide US lawmakers a 30-day window to block each deal, though such action is considered unlikely.

The proposed deals and their estimated values are summarized in the table below.