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United States approves emergency sale of $151.8 million in ammunition to Israel
The State Department approved yesterday the emergency sale of 12,000 BLU-110A/B general-purpose bombs weighing 1,000 pounds to Israel, valued at 151.8 million dollars, in a transaction authorized by Secretary of State Marco Rubio through a special waiver that bypasses Congressional review.
The authorization is based on the Arms Export Control Act. According to the State Department, "the Secretary of State has determined and provided a detailed justification that there is an emergency requiring the immediate sale to the government of Israel of the mentioned defense articles and services." The primary contractor is Repkon USA, based in Texas, and part of the ammunition will be transferred from existing inventories of the U.S. Armed Forces.
The sale takes place within the context of the joint war between the United States and Israel against Iran, which began on February 28 with the so-called "Operation Epic Fury." In the early days of the conflict, the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei died, along with his wife and a granddaughter, in addition to high-ranking military officials such as Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh and Revolutionary Guard Commander Mohammad Pakpour. Other sources raise the number of Iranian civilian casualties to 1,300 people.
Iran responded with the "Operation True Promise 4", launching more than 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones against Israel and U.S. bases in the region.
The BLU-110A/B bombs are general-purpose warheads compatible with JDAM guidance kits that turn them into GPS-guided precision munitions, with an accuracy of between 10 and 13 meters. They are among the most commonly used munitions by the United States Air Force and Navy.
The State Department justified the operation by stating that "the proposed sale will enhance Israel's ability to address current and future threats, strengthen its defense of national territory, and serve as a deterrent against regional threats."
In parallel, President Donald Trump announced yesterday on his social network Truth that the country's major defense contractors —including Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman— agreed to quadruple the production of advanced weaponry. "We want to reach, as quickly as possible, the maximum production levels," Trump wrote.
This is not the first emergency arms sale to Israel under the Trump administration. In February 2025, packages worth $7.4 billion were approved; by the end of that same month, an additional sale of $3 billion was approved, which included bombs, warheads, and Caterpillar D9 excavators; and in January 2026, another package of $6.67 billion with Apache AH-64E helicopters, JLTV vehicles, and equipment for Namer armored vehicles. In all cases, Rubio used emergency mechanisms to bypass Congressional review.
The five largest U.S. defense companies are projected to spend $10.08 billion on capital in 2026, a 38% increase compared to 2025, according to data from Melius Research.
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