Bahrain Mirror: Bahrain announced on Tuesday (October 17, 2017) it had signed a $3.8 billion deal with Lockheed Martin for 16 upgraded F-16 fighter jets, after US President Donald Trump's administration resumed arms sales to Bahrain.

Former US President Barack Obama's administration had frozen a fighter jets deal and conditioned passing it by Bahrain's improvement of the human rights situation in the country.

The Bahrain Defence Force signed the agreement with the US company during a defence exhibition in the Gulf kingdom, home to the US Fifth Fleet, the state-run BNA news agency reported.

The American UPI website had mentioned that the island kingdom was seeking to boost its air power by buying 19 F-16 fighter jets and upgrading 20 aircraft of the same model, which it had originally owned.

The site further stated that the cost of the project reached 3.867 billion US dollars, and comes within the framework of two deals for the sale of US weapons, approved by the US State Department.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency had informed the Congress last September of the two possible deals.

Arabic Version