• The U.S. plans to announce an arms package exceeding $100 billion for Saudi Arabia during Trump's visit.
• This deal follows unsuccessful attempts by the Biden administration to finalize a defense pact with Riyadh.
• Major U.S. defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and Boeing are involved in the deal.
• Congress imposed a ban on offensive weapons sales to Saudi Arabia under Biden's administration, lifted in 2024.
• Certain weapons systems, including Lockheed's F-35 jets, are unlikely to be part of the package.

The United States is poised to offer Saudi Arabia an arms package worth well over $100 billion, with an announcement expected during President Donald Trump's visit to the kingdom next month, according to six sources familiar with the matter. The proposal reportedly follows an unsuccessful attempt by President Biden's administration to finalize a defense pact with Riyadh, which aimed at normalizing ties with Israel by providing enhanced access to U.S. weaponry in exchange for limiting China's defense partnerships with the kingdom, according to Reuters, The Jakarta Post, Al Jazeera, and Dawn.

Key U.S. defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin Corp, RTX Corp (formerly known as Raytheon Technologies), Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and General Atomics, are expected to play major roles in this arms deal. Sources reported that the package may include a variety of advanced weapon systems, such as C-130 transport aircraft, missiles, and radar systems, according to Reuters, The Jakarta Post, Al Jazeera, and Dawn.

Historically, the U.S. has been a major arms supplier to Saudi Arabia, having proposed approximately $110 billion in sales during Trump’s first term. However, these sales dropped significantly after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, leading to an investigation and restrictions, including a ban on offensive weapons sales under the Biden administration in 2021. This ban was lifted in 2024 following a shift in U.S. policy to strengthen ties with Riyadh post the Russia-Ukraine war, according to Reuters, The Jakarta Post, Al Jazeera, and Dawn.

While discussions for various weapons systems have intensified, including interest from Saudi Arabia in Lockheed's F-35 jets, sources suggest it remains unlikely that these jets will be included in this package due to restrictions placed on their sale, particularly to nations outside the U.S.'s formal military allies, according to Reuters, The Jakarta Post, Al Jazeera, and Dawn.