Boeing Signs $289 Million Deal to Supply Israel with 5,000 Smart Bombs

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Boeing has signed a $289 million contract with Israel to supply up to 5,000 air-launched smart bombs, a source told Reuters on Tuesday.

According to a report by Bloomberg News citing a person familiar with the matter, the contract is not related to the ongoing U.S.-Israeli air strikes on Iran. Deliveries of the munitions are expected to begin in about 36 months.

The weapons involved are Boeing’s Small Diameter Bombs, precision-guided munitions designed to be launched from aircraft. Israeli jets can deploy these bombs against targets more than 40 miles (64 kilometers) away.

The agreement comes amid continued defense cooperation between the United States and Israel. Last year, Boeing secured an $8.6 billion contract from the U.S. Pentagon to produce and deliver F-15 fighter jets to Israel under a government-to-government foreign military sales program.

The United States has long been Israel’s largest arms supplier and a key security partner in the Middle East.

Reuters reported last week that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump used emergency authority to bypass Congress and expedite the sale of more than 20,000 bombs to Israel, valued at around $650 million. In addition, a U.S. State Department official said Israel would purchase a further $298 million worth of critical munitions through direct commercial sales.

Earlier this year, the U.S. State Department also approved potential military sales to Israel worth more than $6.5 billion across three separate contracts, including the acquisition of Boeing Apache attack helicopters.