US approves billions of dollars in defense sales to Middle Eastern countries

The United States is strengthening military cooperation in the region by approving arms sales to key countries in the Middle East. According to the announcement by the US Department of State, high-volume military equipment and system supply packages planned for Israel, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates have been approved.

The sale to Israel includes approximately 992.4 million dollars worth of Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems (APKWS) and supporting equipment.

It was announced that the contractor for the project will be BAE Systems, which operates in the US state of New Hampshire. The Department noted the urgency of the sale, stating that the Congressional review process under Section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act has been bypassed and that the transactions will commence immediately.

4 BILLION DOLLAR SALE TO QATAR

In other approvals covering Gulf countries, it was announced that a 4.01 billion dollar sale will be made to Qatar for replenishment services and equipment for its Patriot Air and Missile Defense system inventory. Additionally, it was noted that an extra supply of approximately 992 million dollars for the APKWS system is planned for Qatar. An order for the same system worth 147.6 million dollars was accepted for the United Arab Emirates.

In this context, Kuwait will purchase an Integrated Battle Command System, with the total value of this sale amounting to 2.5 billion dollars. These agreements aim to increase the defense capabilities of the regional countries and modernize their existing defense infrastructures.

In the statement issued by the US Department of State, it was emphasized that "these agreements will contribute to supporting the defense and deterrent capacities of the relevant countries." It was assessed that the packages would make significant contributions to regional security and the continuity of the US's cooperation with its allies.

The sales packages include various platforms such as Patriot defense systems, advanced missile technologies, and modern battle command systems. It was reported that all transactions will be carried out in coordination with the relevant countries and contractor companies.

News Source: 12punto