New Delhi: More than 10,000 bombs and Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kits are at the centre of a proposed US weapons package worth an estimated $5 billion for Saudi Arabia. The package combines 500-pound and 2,000-pound general-purpose bombs with guidance equipment and the technical and logistical support needed to operate them.
Saudi Arabia has requested 5,004 KMU-572 JDAM guidance kits and 5,000 KMU-556 JDAM guidance kits, along with 5,004 BLU-111 500-pound bombs and 5,000 BLU-117 2,000-pound bombs. The proposed foreign military sale also covers FMU-139 fuze systems, DSU-38 and DSU-40 target detectors, containers and support equipment.
The $5 billion estimate therefore covers much more than the bombs themselves. It includes spare parts, consumables and accessories, repair-and-return support, as well as engineering, technical and logistics assistance from the US government and contractors.
The $5 billion is the estimated total value of the proposed foreign military sale, rather than the cost of a single bomb or only the ammunition component. The value includes the weapons, JDAM guidance kits, associated equipment and the support services linked to the package.
The guidance kits are an important element because they provide guidance for compatible bombs. Along with the thousands of bombs requested by Saudi Arabia, they would expand the country’s stock of air-launched weapons and its ability to use them against regional threats.
Why is Saudi Arabia seeking the weapons now?
The proposed sale comes as Saudi Arabia faces missile and drone threats from Iranian forces and Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthi rebels. The US said the package would improve Saudi Arabia’s airborne defence capability against current and future regional threats and strengthen its homeland defence.
Washington also said the proposed sale would improve interoperability between Saudi forces and systems operated by US forces and other Gulf partners. The move therefore fits into the wider US-Saudi security relationship in the Gulf.
The US State Department said strengthening Saudi Arabia’s security supports US foreign policy and national security objectives in the Gulf. It described Saudi Arabia as a major non-Nato ally and a force for political stability and economic progress in the region.
The US also said the proposed sale would not alter the military balance in the region. It assessed that Saudi Arabia would have no difficulty absorbing the equipment and services, while the transaction would have no adverse impact on US defence readiness.
Who will supply the weapons?
Boeing, based in Arlington, Virginia, has been named the principal contractor for the proposed sale. The US government said it is not currently aware of any offset agreement linked to the deal, while any such arrangement would be worked out during negotiations between Saudi Arabia and the contractor.
The State Department has approved the possible foreign military sale, but the transaction still has to go through the applicable US arms-transfer process. The implementation of the deal would not require any additional US government or contractor representatives to be assigned to Saudi Arabia.