Airmen from the 124th Fighter Wing load MK-82 general purpose bombs on the A-10 Thunderbolt II at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Oct. 29, 2024. The State Department has authorized a sale of 3,280 bomb guidance kits for MK-82s to Israel. (Joseph Morgan/U.S. Air Force)
The State Department has authorized the potential sale of guidance kits for ground-penetrating bombs to Israel in a $510 million weapons package, as the country’s ceasefire with Iran heads into a second week.
The Israeli government wants to buy more than 3,800 kits for BLU-109 bombs, which are 2,000-pound warheads designed to penetrate hardened underground facilities such as bunkers, according to manufacturer General Dynamics.
Israel also wants to purchase 3,280 guidance kits for smaller MK-82 bombs, which are designed to attack targets such as troops and radars, according to the Army.
The sale would help Israel defend itself without altering the balance of military power in the region, the State Department said. Since President Donald Trump took office in January, the department has authorized more than $9 billion in foreign military sales to Israel.
“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,” the statement said.
Airmen assigned to the 7th Munitions Squadron prep inert BLU-109 penetrator bombs during an exercise at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, in 2019. The State Department has authorized a $510 million sale that includes bomb guidance kits for BLU-109s and MK-82 bombs to Israel. (Mercedes Porter/U.S. Air Force)
Fighting between Israel and Iran is on hold for now after Trump helped broker an end to a 12-day conflict in which the U.S. ally fired a barrage of missiles that killed high-level Iranian military officials and nuclear scientists.
The truce came a day after the U.S. dropped 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bombs on three of Iran’s nuclear sites in hopes of preventing the country from developing a nuclear weapon.
In response to the U.S. strikes, Iran launched what many saw as a symbolic attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar that caused little damage and no casualties.
Trump has suggested that the two nations may resume diplomatic talks, but U.S. troops in the region are likely to remain dispersed and on guard for the time being.
Boeing will be the primary contractor for the bomb guidance kits, the State Department said. The sale won’t require any additional U.S. personnel to travel to Israel.
