Saudi Arabia in $30 billion US arms deal

The US plans to sell F-15 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia in a $30 billion, 10-year arms deal, the Wall Street Journal has reported.

The deal is one of the largest of its kind and is expected to include 84 advanced Boeing F-15 jets and dozens of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.

The jets won’t be equipped with long-range weapons systems after Israel strongly opposed their inclusion but will instead have onboard targeting systems similar to those America offers to other foreign governments, the Journal reported.

Saudi Arabia in recent years has become one of the world’s top weapons buyers. It reportedly spent $36.7 billion on arms between 2001 and 2008.