Trump Adminstration approves $3.5 billion missile sale to Saudi

The United States has granted preliminary approval for a $3.5 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia, involving 1,000 AIM-120C-8 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, as well as guidance components and technical support.

The United States has granted preliminary approval for a $3.5 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia, involving 1,000 AIM-120C-8 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, as well as guidance components and technical support.

The weapons, manufactured by RTX Corp of Tucson, Arizona, are intended for the Royal Saudi Air Force, which operates the world's second-largest fleet of F-15 fighter jets.

The sale is announced ahead of President Donald Trump's upcoming visit to the kingdom and is expected to be one of several defense agreements highlighted during the trip. Saudi Arabia also expressed its intent to invest $600 billion in the U.S. over four years. The deal now awaits congressional approval, where past arms sales to Saudi Arabia have faced strong opposition over human rights concerns, including actions in Yemen and the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Meanwhile, Trump’s administration has also approved a nearly $2 billion drone sale to Qatar, signaling continued strong defense ties with Gulf nations.