SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Washington: The United States has approved a potential USD 5 billion sale of bombs, Joint Direct Attack Munition guidance kits and related equipment to Saudi Arabia, as the kingdom seeks to strengthen its defences amid heightened regional tensions.
The US Department of State on Friday, September 4, said it had made a determination approving the possible Foreign Military Sale, which includes more than 10,000 JDAM guidance kits and 10,000 general-purpose bombs.
Saudi Arabia has requested 5,004 KMU-572 JDAM guidance kits and 5,000 KMU-556 JDAM guidance kits, along with 5,004 BLU-111 500-pound general-purpose bombs and 5,000 BLU-117 2,000-pound general-purpose bombs.
The proposed package also includes FMU-139 fuze systems, DSU-38 and DSU-40 target detectors, containers and support equipment, spare parts, consumables and accessories, as well as engineering, technical and logistics support.
The State Department said the proposed sale would support US foreign policy and national security objectives by improving the security of Saudi Arabia, which Washington designates as a Major Non-NATO Ally.
It said the equipment would improve Saudi Arabia’s airborne defence capabilities against current and future regional threats, strengthen homeland defence and enhance interoperability with US forces and other Gulf partners.
Washington said the proposed sale would not alter the military balance in the region and would have no adverse impact on US defence readiness.
The Boeing Company, based in Arlington, Virginia, has been named the principal contractor. The State Department said no offset agreement had been proposed at this stage, adding that any such arrangement would be determined through negotiations between Saudi Arabia and the contractor.
The proposed sale will not require the deployment of additional US government or contractor representatives to Saudi Arabia.
The State Department has notified Congress of the potential sale, which will now undergo the required congressional review process.
This comes as Saudi Arabia has faced drone and missile attacks during the ongoing US-Israeli war against Iran, with Iranian forces and Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthi rebels targeting the kingdom amid the wider regional escalation.
SOURCE : SIASAT
