The Pentagon aims to sell Patriot missile batteries to Saudi Arabia in a deal worth $1.75 billion.
“The proposed sale will help replenish Saudi’s current Patriot missiles which are becoming obsolete and difficult to sustain due to age and the limited availability of repair parts,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement released to its website on Wednesday.
The Pentagon said that the weapons sale would not alter the basic military balance in the region and touted the program that the deal would fall under as “an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.”
The Patriot missiles have an estimated range of up to 186 miles and have more advanced radar than Saudi Arabia’s current systems, Agence France Press reported Wednesday. The weapons are manufactured by Lockheed Martin.
Congress now has 30 days to raise concerns pertaining to the proposed sale.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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