The Pentagon has said it planned to sell 60 Patriot
missiles to Kuwait in a deal worth an estimated $4.2 billion, as the
emirate tries to bolster its defences against the threat from Iran.
The
Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which is in charge of US
weapon sales to foreign countries, notified the US Congress of the
intended sale on July 20, the agency said in a statement on its Website
yesterday.
Congress has 30 days to raise any
objections it may have. If nothing is said, the contract is deemed valid
after that waiting period.
The deal involves the
sale of 60 Patriot advanced capability (PAC-3) missiles, 20 launching
stations, four radar systems and control stations, personnel training
and training equipment, and spare parts, the DSCA said.
“Kuwait
will use the PAC-3 missiles and equipment to improve its missile
defence capability, strengthen its homeland defence, and deter regional
threats,” the agency said.
Earlier this year at a
forum that brought together the United States and the six members of the
Gulf Cooperation Council — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
and the United Arab Emirates — the US Secretary of State, Ms Hillary
Clinton, promoted a missile shield to protect Gulf Arab states from
Tehran.
The six GCC states are all major buyers of US arms.
Kuwait
already has Patriot missiles. In 1992, it bought 210 of the
earlier-generation Patriots, and 25 launchers. It then bought 140 more
in 2007, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Asian Defence News
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