US President Barack Obama has approved the delivery of a dozen F-16 aircraft to Egypt that had been frozen after a military-led takeover.
The White House said Obama told Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi by phone on Tuesday that a 2013 freeze would be lifted.
The move comes as Egypt plays a key role in the Arab offensive against Iranian-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen and engages in the fight against the Islamic State group in Libya.
The decision would help "create a US-Egyptian military assistance relationship that is better positioned to address the security challenges of the 21st century," said National Security Council spokesperson Bernadette Meehan.
Aside from the high-tech war planes, Obama also agreed to deliver 20 Harpoon missiles and up to 125 M1A1 Abrams tank kits.
The shipments had been blocked after Sisi`s military allies forcibly ousted elected president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.
The new Egyptian authorities insist they acted to maintain order amid mass protests against a government that had lost popular support.
Critics branded the move a coup.
Hundreds of supporters of Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood have been killed and thousands imprisoned in a government crackdown.
Rights groups accuse Sisi of installing a regime more repressive than the one of former longtime strongman Hosni Mubarak.
Mubarak was toppled in early 2011 after an 18-day uprising, leading to years of unrest.
Islamists revile Sisi, but he is popular among Egyptians who say the country needs a firm hand.
Washington annually offers about $1.5 billion in aid to Egypt, including $1.3 billion in military aid.
Around $650 million in military aid was frozen after Morsi`s overthrow.