US agrees to sell Saudi Arabia $142 billion arms package

The United States agreed on Tuesday to sell Saudi Arabia an arms package worth nearly $142 billion, according to a White House fact sheet that called it "the largest defense cooperation agreement" Washington has ever done.The agreement, signed during US President Donald Trump's visit to the Saudi capital Riyadh, covers deals with more than a dozen US defense companies in areas including air and missile defense, air force and space advancement, maritime security and communications, the fact sheet said."The package signed today, the largest defense cooperation deal in US history, is a clear demonstration of our commitment to strengthening our partnership," the fact sheet said.Reuters first reported last month that the arms package would be worth well over $100 billion.Reuters previously reported that Lockheed Martin Corp was expected to sell C-130 transport aircraft, missiles and radars as part of the deal. CEOs from RTX Corp Boeing Co, Northrop Grumman Corp were expected to be in the kingdom, but the White House did not verify any specific equipment or makers as a part of the potential sale to Saudi.The White House fact sheet did not mention if Riyadh would be permitted to purchase Lockheed's F-35 jets, the military aircraft that the kingdom has reportedly been interested in for years.The two countries had discussed Riyadh's potential purchase of Lockheed's F-35 jets, two sources briefed on discussions told Reuters.