The billion dollar deal includes 22,000 smart and general purpose bombs, including models that have been deployed in Yemen.
In November, Saudi Arabia purchased over a billion dollars' worth of advanced air-to-surface munitions such as laser-guided bombs, bunker buster bombs, and MK84 general purpose bombs.
At 07:15, Nagumo ordered his reserve planes to be re-armed with contact-fused general purpose bombs for use against land targets.
Nagumo quickly reversed his order to re-arm the bombers with general purpose bombs and demanded that the scout plane ascertain the composition of the American force.
A 500 pound general-purpose bomb struck the battleship's bridge, killing her commanding officer, Rear Admiral Otsuka Miki as well as the executive officer and at least nine other men.
General-purpose bombs combine the effects of both blast and fragmentation and hence can be used against a wide variety of targets.
As Japanese fighter opposition was limited, the squadron took part in several ground-attack missions in New Britain, armed with incendiary and general-purpose bombs, a practice that had been employed by Kittyhawk units in the Middle East.
The remaining ten aircraft would be armed with 500- and 600-pound general-purpose bombs and with anti-submarine bombs intended to inflict casualties among the battleship's crew and cause underwater damage if they exploded in the water near her hull.
As well as providing local air defence, and fighter escort for Australian bombers, the Kittyhawks were armed with incendiary and general-purpose bombs so that they could engage in ground attack missions, a practice that had already been employed by Commonwealth forces in the Middle Eastern theatre.
Post-war assessments found that the damage caused to industrial buildings by even 16 inches naval shells was less than that which could be inflicted by the 2000 pound and 1000 pound general-purpose bombs which were used by Allied naval aircraft, however.
