The US government has cleared a large possible sale of precision-guided weapons to Israel.
The potential package covers thousands of bombs of various sizes, including 2,160 GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs Increment 1, as well as 2,800 Mk82 226kg (500lb) bombs, 13,000 Joint Direct Attack Munition guidance kits, as well as other precision weapons and equipment, according to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).
The total value of the potential package is $6.8 billion.
“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defence capability,” says the DSCA.
“This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives. The proposed sale improves Israel’s capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defence, and serves as a deterrent to regional threats. Israel already has these weapons in its inventory and will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces.”
The weapons will come from US government stocks as well as from contractors such as ATK, Boeing, and L3Harris.
In addition, a separate DSCA notification details a possible sale to Israel of 3,000 Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles for $660 million.
The potential packages were announced on 7 February and follow a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to US President Donald Trump.
The packages reflect the Trump Administration’s interest in bolstering Israel’s defence capabilities, including lifting a hold on the sale of 2,000lb weapons to Israel that had been imposed by former president Joe Biden.
