US Prepares Sale of 40,000 Heavy Aerial Bombs to Israel

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing to sell Israel a large shipment of aerial munitions worth a total of $2.8 billion.

The New York Times reported this, citing U.S. officials.

The proposed package includes 20,000 Mk 84 bomb bodies and 20,000 BLU-117s. Both types are 2,000-pound-class munitions, weighing approximately 907 kilograms (2,000 pounds) each.

Mk 80-series aerial bombs, which include the Mk 84 and BLU-117, feature a modular design. The munition body can be fitted with various fuzes, tail assemblies, and guidance kits. In particular, fitting a JDAM tail kit with an inertial/GPS guidance system converts an unguided aerial bomb into a precision-guided munition.

As a separate line item in the package, 20,000 I-2000 penetrator warheads are included, designed to engage hardened and deeply buried targets. They are equipped with delayed-action fuzes, allowing the munition to detonate after penetrating soil, concrete, or another barrier.

The proposal has already been submitted to the relevant committees of the U.S. Congress for informal review. However, no final agreement has been reached, and the State Department has not yet formally notified Congress of the proposed sale.

Therefore, no official notification regarding this specific package is currently available on the website of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) of the U.S. Department of Defense. The State Department said it does not comment on proposed arms sales before Congress is formally notified.

According to the Associated Press, most of the cost of the munitions is expected to be covered through the U.S. Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program. Manufacturing and delivering such a large quantity of munitions could take months or years. At the same time, the U.S. administration has mechanisms for expediting deliveries.

This is not the first major deal involving the supply of Mk 84, BLU-117, and I-2000 munitions to Israel. In February 2025, the U.S. State Department formally approved a possible sale of 35,529 Mk 84 or BLU-117 bomb bodies and 4,000 I-2000 penetrator warheads, with a total estimated value of $2.04 billion.

At the time, the U.S. Secretary of State invoked emergency authorities and waived the standard congressional review process for the deal. Deliveries of the munitions under that contract were scheduled to begin in 2026.

In 2024, the administration of Joe Biden suspended the transfer of one shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel over concerns about their use in densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip. After Donald Trump returned to the White House, the restriction was lifted.

Heavy aerial bombs of this class can strike large structures, fortified positions, and underground infrastructure. At the same time, due to the substantial weight of their warheads, their use in urban areas carries a particularly high risk of extensive destruction and civilian casualties.