US approves $9bn sale of Patriot missiles to Saudi Arabia

DUBAI: The US State Department has approved the potential sale of Patriot interceptor missiles and related equipment to Saudi Arabia for an estimated cost of $9 billion, the Pentagon said on Friday.

The principal contractor for the sale of the missiles—Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement Missiles (PAC-3 MSE)—will be Lockheed Martin Corp, the Pentagon said in a statement. The State Department approval follows a request by Saudi Arabia to buy 730 PAC-3 MSE missiles, the Pentagon said.

The proposed sale will not alter the military balance in the Middle East, and it will not result in any adverse impact on US defense readiness, the Pentagon added.

The State Department also approved more than $6.5 billion in potential military sales to Israel in three separate contracts. It approved a potential sale of Joint Light Tactical Vehicle and related equipment for an estimated cost of $1.98 billion and another sale of AH-64E Apache Helicopters for $3.8 billion, the Pentagon said in separate statements.

The principal contractor for the first sale is AM General LLC, while Boeing and Lockheed Martin are the contractors for the sale of Apache helicopters.