US approves $3.5 bn missile sale to Saudis

The United States on Friday approved a $3.5 billion sale of missiles to Saudi Arabia, ahead of a visit to the kingdom by President Donald Trump.

The State Department said it notified Congress of the deal that will include Saudi Arabia's purchase of 1,000 medium-range air-to-air missiles.

The AIM-120 missiles, whose principal contractor is RTX Corp. in Arizona, are a mainstay of a number of militaries around the world.

The missiles are guided by active radar after fired by pilots.

Trump will visit Saudi Arabia followed by Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on May 13 to 16 on the first foreign trip of his second term -- other than a brief trip to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis.

Trump has boasted of securing major commercial deals from oil-rich Saudi Arabia, which has also been a key go-between for the US diplomacy on Russia and Ukraine.