The United States has approved an initial $3.5 billion deal to sell air-to-air missiles to Saudi Arabia for use in their fighter jets. This proposed arms sale is one of several expected to be announced during President Donald Trump's upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia later this month.

This trip marks an important moment in U.S.-Saudi relations. Saudi Arabia has already expressed plans to invest $600 billion in the U.S. over the next four years, likely as part of its efforts to build stronger ties with the Trump administration. President Trump previously made a brief visit to Italy for Pope Francis' funeral, but this will be his first formal international visit as president.

In 2017, President Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia was different from what modern US presidents usually do. Instead of visiting countries like Canada, Mexico, or the UK first, he chose Saudi Arabia. This visit highlighted the strong relationship between his administration and the leaders of the Gulf states, especially since his real estate company has been involved in business deals in that region.

As part of this trip, the US agreed to sell Saudi Arabia 1,000 advanced air-to-air missiles (AIM-120C-8). These missiles, along with their guidance systems and technical support, will be produced by RTX Corp, a company based in Tucson, Arizona. The Royal Saudi Air Force has one of the largest fleets of F-15 fighter jets in the world, second only to the United States. The U.S. Defence Security Cooperation Agency said that this planned sale will help support America's foreign policy and national security by strengthening the security of a partner country—Saudi Arabia—that plays a key role in maintaining political stability and economic growth in the Gulf region. The sale now goes to the U.S. Congress, where lawmakers usually review such deals and have the power to block them if they choose. Saudi Arabia has been under strong scrutiny from Congress for years. This began in 2015 when it launched a war in Yemen against Houthi rebels, during which many civilians were killed by Saudi airstrikes. The criticism grew in 2018 after a Saudi team killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the operation that led to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The prince has met both President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden, though Saudi Arabia denies he was involved in the murder. After leaving office, Trump kept strong connections with Gulf countries. In fact, his second administration has already given early approval for Qatar—a wealthy Middle Eastern nation—to buy eight armed MQ-9B Reaper drones for its military, a deal valued at nearly $2 billion.