The US and Saudi Arabia have signed an arms deal worth nearly $142 billion, described as the largest defence sales agreement between the allies. This is part of a series of agreements secured between both Countries on day one of President Trump’s state visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The White House confirmed on Tuesday that the deal would provide Saudi Arabia with ‘state-of-the-art warfighting equipment and services from over a dozen US defense firms’, signaling deepening military ties between Washington and Riyadh. The agreement also included a letter of intent for up to $100 billion in future U. weapons purchases
Multiple Agreements Secured
U.S. President Donald Trump secured a $600 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia to invest in the United States at the start of a tour of Gulf states.
Saudi Arabia and the United States had earlier signed a strategic cooperation agreement in the field of outer space exploration and peaceful use, aiming to enhance bilateral cooperation in areas such as space science, exploration, aerospace, education, and earth sciences.
On Tuesday, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia also finetuned discussions on Saudi Arabia’s potential purchase of Lockheed F-35 jets from the U.S, as well as energy and technology investments worth tens of billions, which the US says are “just a few of the many transformative deals” reached between both countries.
There is also a $9bn partnership between US companies and Saudi firms to “mine and process critical minerals used in advanced manufacturing, energy and defense” for export to the US. There is also an Artificial Intelligence (AI) deal which would allow UAE’s artificial intelligence powerhouse G42 and Saudi firm Humain, gain access to US-produced AI chips.
