(Reuters) - Lockheed Martin has won a $ 1.48 billion contract to sell a missile defense system to Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said.
The New York Times quoted the Pentagon as saying the new contract was related to the missile defense system "Thad."
"With this new contract, the total value of Thad deals with Saudi Arabia will rise to $ 5.36 billion," she said.
Lockheed Martin is the largest arms manufacturer in the United States, producing a missile-capable missile system capable of intercepting short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.
The developments coincide with Riyadh's announcement of the arrival of new US troops. The official Saudi Press Agency quoted an official source in the Ministry of Defense as saying that King Salman bin Abdul Aziz issued an order approving the Kingdom to receive US troops "to raise the level of joint action in defense of the security and stability of the region."
He explained that this decision comes from the joint cooperation between Riyadh and Washington and their desire to strengthen everything that would maintain the security of the region, according to the same source.
According to a Newsweek report in November 2017, the number of US and civilian soldiers working for the Pentagon in Saudi Arabia reached 850.
Kuwait has the largest number of US troops in the Gulf, and Qatar has the base of many, the largest US military base abroad. While the US Fifth Fleet is based in Bahrain.