The United States has agreed to sell nearly 6,600 missiles to Saudi Arabia in a deal worth up to $1 bln, the Trump administration confirmed on Thursday.
The sale will include Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missiles.
The sale comes as Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with US Secretary of Defense James Mattis earlier in the day.
The State Department confirmed it had green-lighted a $670 million deal for anti-tank missiles, a $106 million contract for helicopter maintenance and $300 million for ground vehicle parts.
“The proposed sale of TOW 2B missiles and technical support will advance Saudi Arabia’s efforts to develop an integrated ground defense capability,” the department said.
An official said the deals had been in the pipeline since President Donald Trump agreed more than $100 billion in contracts on a visit to Riyadh last year, but were now formalized.
(With AFP)
