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A possible sale of guided munitions to NATO has been greenlit by the US State Department.
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The NATO Support and Procurement Agency has secured approval for a possible foreign military sale of precision guided munitions and related equipment for approximately US$22.7 million (AU$32.8 million).
The deal includes:
- 239 GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs;
- 204 FMU-152 fuses;
- 204 MK-82 500LB General Purpose Bombs; and
- 50 BLU-109 2000LB Hard Target Penetrator Bombs.
This builds on the original FMS case, valued at $1.8 million (AU$2.6 million), which included 40 GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs.
“This proposed sale supports the foreign policy and national security of the United States by increasing the flexibility of Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom, 12 NATO nations and one NATO enhanced opportunity partner nation, to contribute to overseas contingency operations,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) noted in a statement.
“This sale increases the quantity of precision guided munitions within NATO and allows for their pre-coordinated transfer in support of national and NATO requirements.
“The proposed sale will improve NATO’s capability to meet current and future ground threats with precision.”
Boeing and Raytheon Missile Systems are the project’s principal contractors for production.
This latest foreign military sale comes just days after the US State Department approved a US$94 million (AU$135.7 million) foreign military sale of advanced precision strike capability to Australia has been greenlit by the US State Department.
The deal includes:
- 15 AGM-88E2 Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) guidance sections;
- Up to 15 AARGM control sections;
- up to 15 High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles (HARM) rocket motors;
- up to 15 HARM warheads;
- up to 15 HARM control sections;
- AGM-88E2 AARGM All Up Round (AUR) tactical missiles;
- software support; and
- training equipment.
The Northrop Grumman-built anti-radiation missiles are deployed by strike fighters against modern surface-to-air threats.
The systems are designed to provide a combination of precision, survivability and lethality, reportedly capable of rapidly engaging land- and sea-based air-defence threats, as well as striking time-sensitive targets.
Specifically, the missile capability can destroy or suppress radar to deny the use of air defence systems.
[Related: Defence eyes anti-radiation missile purchase ]
