Bahrain on Tuesday announced it had signed a $3.8 billion deal with Lockheed Martin for 16 upgraded F-16 fighter jets.

The Bahrain Defence Force signed the agreement with the US company during a defence exhibition in the Gulf kingdom, home to the US Fifth Fleet, the state-run BNA news agency reported.

US President Donald Trump has eased restrictions on arms sales to countries including Bahrain.

Bahrain has been rocked by unrest since 2011, when protesters hit the streets to demand a constitutional monarchy and an elected government.

The tiny Gulf archipelago has a majority Shiite population and has been ruled for more than two centuries by the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty.

Bahraini authorities have come under harsh criticism for their crackdown on political dissent.

Hundreds of protesters have been arrested since 2011 and a string of high-profile activists and clerics have been jailed or stripped of citizenship.

The government has accused Iran of inciting unrest.

source: AFP