Addition of Apaches, Black Hawks Swells Deal to $60 Billion.

The Obama administration plans to include attack helicopters in an expanded arms package for Saudi Arabia, swelling the size of the proposed deal to as much as $60 billion over 10 years, according to officials familiar with the matter.

The deal would be the largest overseas U.S. arms sale, the officials said, though the size could change as the package is finalized, one official said.

Negotiated largely in secret because of the sensitivities in the region, the sale is part of a strategy spearheaded by the George W. Bush administration and expanded by President Barack Obama to beef up the militaries of Arab allies as a counterweight to Iran. Saudi Arabia, home to the birthplace of Islam, claims leadership of the Sunni world, making it a rival of Iran, which is predominantly Shia.

The size and scope of the Saudi deal has stoked concerns in Israel that Washington risks undercutting Jerusalem's military edge. Officials said some weapons systems strongly opposed by the Jewish states won't be included in the package, assuaging some of the Jewish state's concerns.

Israel considers Iran its archenemy but also views Saudi Arabia as a potential future threat to the Jewish state. Israeli and Saudi embassy officials in Washington had no immediate comment on the proposed helicopter sales.

New details about the deal include plans to sell the Saudis about 70 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and up to 60 Longbow Apache attack helicopters together worth about $30 billion. That comes on top of a previously disclosed $30 billion tranche that includes 84 Boeing Co. F-15s and upgrades to older fighters in the Saudis fleet. 

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