The U.S. State Department approved a potential sale of air-launched munitions to Bahrain on May 18, 2018.
According to the press release, Bahrain requested 3,200 general purpose and penetrator warhead bomb bodies.
- 1,500 Mk-82 bomb bodies (500 lbs)
- 600 Mk-83 bomb bodies (1,000 lbs)
- 600 Mk-84 bomb bodies (2,000 lbs)
- 500 BLU-109 bomb bodies (2,000 lbs)
The sale, if completed, is worth $45 million. Bahrain will arm its F-16s with the ordnance.
State Department approval notices do not mean the sale has been concluded; the sale will now enter a review period as the Congress decides whether to block it. Some Members of Congress have raised concerns about the human rights situation in Bahrain as well as the sale of ordnance to members of the Saudi-led coalition over Yemen, but the sale is currently expected to proceed.
Military markets analyst, covering Eurasia, Middle East, and Africa.
