The U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) announced on Thursday that the State Department approved the first major arms deal for Saudi Arabia under President Joe Biden, involving the sale of 280 air-to-air missiles worth up to $650 million. The Pentagon notified Congress about the deal on Thursday. If approved, this will be the first deal with Saudi Arabia since the Biden administration adopted a policy restricting arms sales to the Gulf ally to defensive weapons only.
A State Department spokesperson stated that the deal was approved on October 26, adding that the sale of air-to-air missiles follows "an increase in cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia over the past year." The missiles are produced by Raytheon Technologies. The U.S. State Department spokesman mentioned in a statement that the deal "aligns perfectly with the administration's commitment to engage in diplomacy to end the conflict in Yemen." He noted that the air-to-air missiles ensure that "Saudi Arabia has the means to defend itself against aerial attacks from Iran-backed Houthi forces."
The package will include 280 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles of the AIM-120C-7/C-8 type and 596 launchers of the LAU-128 type, as well as containers, support equipment, spare parts, and engineering and technical support from the U.S. government and the contracted company. Although the State Department has approved the deal, the notification did not mention the signing of a contract or the completion of negotiations.
