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US State Department Clears Saudi Patriot Missile Sale
The US State Department has cleared a potential sale of enhanced Patriot air defense system missiles to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The sale has a potential value of $1.75 billion if it is completed, according to a notice posted on the Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s (DSCA) website Wednesday.
The start of the sale would involve 202 Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC)-3 missiles and 202 Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC)-3 missiles with containers, but this would be a full package for the Saudis that includes “2 PAC-3 Telemetry Kits, 6 Fire Solution Computers, 36 Launcher Station Modification Kits, 2 Missile Round Trainers, 2 PAC-3 Slings, 6 Patriot Automated Logistics Systems Kits, 6 Shorting Plugs, spare and repair part,” according to the notice.
The proposed sale is needed because the kingdom’s current missiles are “becoming obsolete and difficult to sustain due to age and the limited availability of repair parts,” the DSCA notice reads. “Saudi Arabia, which already has Patriot missiles in its inventory, will have no difficulty absorbing these additional missiles into its armed forces.”
As with all announcements made of major arms sales, this is no done deal; it could still be scuttled by congressional intervention or simply fall apart once final negotiations begin.
The deal is notable given its timing, as Saudi Arabia has become an active participant in the fight against Islamic militants in Syria.
Developing an integrated anti-missile defense network in the gulf, built around the Patriot system, has been a priority for both the US and gulf states for some time, with various degrees of success.
In January, Kuwait began receiving a shipment of PAC-3 weapons. That was followed in July when Qatar agreed to its first procurement of the Patriot system, an $11 billion deal.
However, generals from gulf states have expressed concern over the speed with which the nations are integrating their defense systems, a concern that is largely rooted in fears of a militarized Iran.
Source: defensenews com/article/20141001/DEFREG02/310010038/US-State-Department-Clears-Saudi-Patriot-Missile-Sale
The US State Department has cleared a potential sale of enhanced Patriot air defense system missiles to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The sale has a potential value of $1.75 billion if it is completed, according to a notice posted on the Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s (DSCA) website Wednesday.
The start of the sale would involve 202 Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC)-3 missiles and 202 Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC)-3 missiles with containers, but this would be a full package for the Saudis that includes “2 PAC-3 Telemetry Kits, 6 Fire Solution Computers, 36 Launcher Station Modification Kits, 2 Missile Round Trainers, 2 PAC-3 Slings, 6 Patriot Automated Logistics Systems Kits, 6 Shorting Plugs, spare and repair part,” according to the notice.
The proposed sale is needed because the kingdom’s current missiles are “becoming obsolete and difficult to sustain due to age and the limited availability of repair parts,” the DSCA notice reads. “Saudi Arabia, which already has Patriot missiles in its inventory, will have no difficulty absorbing these additional missiles into its armed forces.”
As with all announcements made of major arms sales, this is no done deal; it could still be scuttled by congressional intervention or simply fall apart once final negotiations begin.
The deal is notable given its timing, as Saudi Arabia has become an active participant in the fight against Islamic militants in Syria.
Developing an integrated anti-missile defense network in the gulf, built around the Patriot system, has been a priority for both the US and gulf states for some time, with various degrees of success.
In January, Kuwait began receiving a shipment of PAC-3 weapons. That was followed in July when Qatar agreed to its first procurement of the Patriot system, an $11 billion deal.
However, generals from gulf states have expressed concern over the speed with which the nations are integrating their defense systems, a concern that is largely rooted in fears of a militarized Iran.
Source: defensenews com/article/20141001/DEFREG02/310010038/US-State-Department-Clears-Saudi-Patriot-Missile-Sale
