On Friday, March 6, 2026, the U.S. Department of State announced its approval of a potential sale of a batch of 12,000 BLU-110A/B half-ton aerial bombs to Israel in a package worth up to 151.8 million USD.
Mark 83 Bombs / Photo: Rheinmetall AG
According to the published information, the government in Tel Aviv requested the possibility of acquiring 12,000 BLU-110A/B general-purpose bomb bodies.
In addition, the package includes elements other than those defined as MDE: engineering, logistics, and technical support services provided by the U.S. government and the contractors (Repkon USA of Garland, Texas, as well as resources from the Department of Defense), along with other related logistics and program support elements.
It further states that the Secretary of State determined and presented detailed justification that, due to an emergency situation, the immediate sale of this package to Israel is required in the interest of the national security of the United States, thereby waiving the congressional review requirements under Section 36(b) of the federal Arms Export Control Act.
The sale is intended to enhance the security of a strategic regional partner that has been and continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East, as well as to improve Israel’s ability to confront current and future threats, strengthen its defensive capabilities, and serve as a deterrent against regional threats. It is no secret that the package is linked to the urgent replenishment of ammunition stocks depleted by the ongoing U.S. and Israeli war with Iran.
The BLU-110A/B is a 454-kg (1,000-lb) general-purpose aerial bomb, a variant of the Mark 83 bomb. It is filled with the insensitive explosive PBXN-109 and equipped with a protective thermal coating, allowing it to be stored aboard ships without the risk of detonation caused by high temperatures. Both the BLU-110A/B and the Mk 83 can be converted into GBU-16 Paveway II and GBU-32 JDAM guided bombs, or fitted with the Quickstrike module for engaging maritime targets.
Last year, the United States issued three approvals for the sale of aviation weapons packages for the Israeli Air Force (Heyl HaAvir):
- June 30, 2025 – 7,125 tail guidance kits for guided bombs worth 510 million USD;
- February 28, 2025 – 35,529 Mark 84 or BLU-117 (907 kg) bomb bodies, or a combination of both, as part of a broader package worth 2.04 billion USD;
- February 7, 2025 – as part of large weapons packages worth up to 7.41 billion USD, including 2,166 GBU-39/B SDB-I glide bombs, 2,800 Mark 82 (227 kg) general-purpose bombs, 13,000 tail guidance kits for Mark 84 bombs to convert them into GBU-31 JDAMs, or 3,475 kits for BLU-109 (874 kg) bombs, and 1,004 guidance kits to configure GBU-38(1) JDAM bombs (254 kg).
Earlier, on February 16, 2025, a shipment of Mark 84 (907 kg) bombs arrived in Israel by sea, deliveries that had previously been blocked by the administration of President Joe Biden, likely around 1,800 units.
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