washington • The Bush administration spelled out plans yesterday to sell $4.6bn of arms to moderate Arab states, including battle tanks worth as much as $2.9bn to protect critical Saudi infrastructure.

The announcement came two weeks after the administration said it would sell Israel its latest supply of JP-8 aviation fuel valued at up to $210m to help Israeli warplanes “keep peace and security in the region.”

The United States also rushed a delivery of precision-guided bombs requested by Israel after launching its airstrikes against Hizbollah fighters in Lebanon 17 days ago, The New York Times reported last week.

In the newly proposed sales to Arab states, UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter gunships worth up to $808m would go to the United Arab Emirates, while AH-64 Apache helicopters worth as much as $400m would go to Saudi Arabia.

Bahrain would also get Black Hawk helicopters, valued at up to $252m. Jordan would get a potential $156m in upgrades to 1,000 of its M113A1 armored personnel carriers.

Javelin anti-tank missiles valued at up to $48m would go to Oman under the deals put forward by the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which administers US government-to-government arms sales.

The $2.9bn Saudi deal involves the sale of 58 older-generation US M1A1 Abrams tanks that would be modernized. Also, 315 Saudi-owned, newer-model, Abrams tanks would be improved with such things as air-conditioning and infrared sights for the commanders as well as the gunners.

The project’s prime contractor would be General Dynamics Corp.’s Land Systems business unit of Sterling Heights, Michigan, the Pentagon said in a notice to Congress required by law. Vehicle “teardown” and final reassembly would be carried out in Saudi Arabia, the notice said.