Saudi arms mega-deal: Trump inks $142 billion milestone
Saudi Arabia signed a deal with the US on Tuesday to purchase weaponry valued at nearly $142 billion, the White House announced. This is part of a larger plan under which the Saudis are expected to invest $600 billion in the American economy. The agreement was signed during President Donald Trump's visit to Riyadh.
Donald Trump signed an agreement on Tuesday with Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, for a strategic economic partnership between the US and Saudi Arabia. The deal involves cooperation in areas such as the defense industry, energy, and mining. According to the White House, the agreement includes the Saudi company DataVolt investing $20 billion in artificial intelligence centers and energy infrastructure in the United States.
The US will arm the Saudis. Agreement signed
On the other hand, Google, DataVolt, Oracle, Salesforce, AMD, and Uber have committed to investing $80 billion in cutting-edge technologies in both countries. In addition, American companies like Hill International, Jacobs, Parsons, and AECOM will carry out key infrastructure projects in Saudi Arabia, including the King Salman International Airport. Their total value will reach $2 billion.
Among the approved contracts is Saudi Arabia's purchase of gas turbines and other equipment from General Electric for $14.2 billion and a deal to export Boeing 737-8 passenger planes valued at $4.8 billion.
The key contract is the arms deal, which is the biggest such agreement in history between these countries. The White House states that these are deals worth $142 billion, providing Saudi Arabia with "state-of-the-art combat equipment and services from over a dozen American defense companies." Details regarding the types of weaponry were not provided. The White House limited the information to five categories: development of air force and space capabilities, air and missile defense, maritime and coastal security, modernization of ground forces, and upgrading of IT systems.
Trump was accompanied by a wide delegation of high-ranking officials and business leaders, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Presidential Advisor and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and CEO of the investment firm BlackRock, Larry Fink.
