ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE – A proposed $30 billion sale of additional F-15 fighter aircraft to Saudi Arabia most likely would bring additional management and support responsibilities to Robins Air Force Base.

The Obama administration has revealed plans to sell 84 of the Boeing Co. jets to the Saudis in a 10-year package that will apparently will include training, technical assistance and supply support. The aircraft will be equipped similar to F-15s sold to Singapore and South Korea but inferior to those flown by the U.S.

Robins is the focal point for management and sustainment for the U.S. Air Force’s F-15 fleet and provides similar services for countries that have bought versions of the same aircraft. The services are defined by specific foreign military sales agreements. The additional jets would augment F-15s purchased by the Saudis in the early 1990s.

Congress still must approve the sale. Robins officials did not immediately comment on the proposed transaction.

A Wall Street Journal article earlier this week said the proposed sale has been the subject of intense behind-the-scenes negotiations with Israeli officials who are concerned that the transfer will upset the balance of power in the region. The Journal said the U.S. had agreed to withhold certain advanced long-range weapon components to alleviate Israeli concerns.

Israel was not expected to lobby the U.S. Congress to block the sale. The administration is expected to formally notify Congress of its intentions next month, according to the Journal.