The United States has approved an emergency $151.8 million munitions sale to Israel that includes 12,000 BLU-110A/B 1,000-pound bomb bodies, with Repkon USA, the US subsidiary of Turkish defense contractor REPKON, named as the principal contractor, according to the US State Department.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio waived the usual congressional review process under emergency authority, saying the sale was required for US national security interests. The State Department said part of the order would come from existing US military stockpiles and the rest through production and procurement.
This is not the first such Israel sale involving Repkon USA. In a separate February 28, 2025, notification, the US approved another emergency arms package worth $675.7 million that included 201 MK 83 1,000-pound bomb bodies, 4,799 BLU-110A/B 1,000-pound bomb bodies and 5,000 Joint Direct Attack Munition guidance kits, with Repkon USA and Boeing named as principal contractors.
Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks criticized the use of emergency authority to bypass Congress, saying it showed a lack of preparation by the administration. The approval came a week after the United States and Israel began strikes on Iran, increasing tensions across the region.
The disclosure adds to scrutiny of Ankara’s commercial links with Israel after Reuters reported in January that Israeli imports of Azerbaijani crude from Turkey’s Ceyhan port rose to a three-year high in 2025 despite Turkey’s trade ban.
Critics accuse President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of hypocrisy, saying that while he presents himself as a defender of Palestinians and condemns Israel’s actions in Gaza, Turkey has continued to allow exports of dual-use goods that can support Israel’s military operations.
A 2025 report by United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese argued that third states, including Turkey, have helped sustain what she described as genocide in Gaza through trade and material support, including the transfer of dual-use goods. Against that backdrop, critics would see the involvement of a US subsidiary of a Turkish defense contractor in an ammunition sale to Israel as even more damaging.
REPKON has expanded its footprint in the United States through Repkon USA as Washington moves to increase ammunition production capacity. The State Department notice listed the contractor as Repkon USA in Garland, Texas, rather than the Turkish parent company itself.
The 1,000-pound BLU-110 bomb bodies in the package are the kind of heavy munitions used in strikes that flatten apartment blocks in Gaza, where Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem and a United Nations commission have concluded that Israel’s conduct amounts to genocide or genocidal acts.
