Defense News:
The US State Department gave its approval on Wednesday for a possible foreign military sale to Saudi Arabia of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles and equipment, worth $5.4 billion.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of the possible sale and is awaiting approval to execute.
The Saudi government requested 600 PAC-3 cost-reduction initiative missiles with containers, according to DSCA, along with eight test missiles, telemetry kits, guidance-enhanced missiles, fire solution computers, launcher modification kits and other related equipment.
Word of the possible sale comes just days after Defense Secretary Ash Carter was in the kingdom meeting with his counterpart there.
‘The timing of the PAC-3 intent to sell is notable because of Secretary of Defense Ash Carter’s visit to Saudi Arabia a few days ago. It’s a sweetener,” said Theodore Karasik, a geo-political and defense analyst based in the United Arab Emirates. “The PAC-3 is meant to augment Saudi missile defense against not only the Houthis [militias in Yemen] but the Iranian missile threat in the near to medium term.”
According to the DSCA’s statement, the proposed sale will modernize and replenish Saudi Arabia’s current Patriot missile stockpile, which is becoming obsolete and difficult to sustain due to age and limited availability of repair parts…
