US approves $4.2 billion F-16 sale to Jordan, air defense systems to Gulf
Lockheed Martin's THAAD air defense system marked its first successful combat shoot-downs during ballistic missile attacks on the UAE in recent weeks.
The Biden administration notified Congress on Thursday of a planned sale of $4.21 billion worth of 12 F-16 C/D fighter jets to Jordan, as well as command-and-control systems and HAWK surface-to-air missiles to upgrade air defenses in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, respectively.
The sales come as the UAE has come under unprecedented attacks by ballistic missiles and drones claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Though most of the attacks missed their targets or were shot down, one strike last month killed three people in Abu Dhabi.
Washington is proposing an extension to an earlier $30 million sale of spare parts to repair and maintain Abu Dhabi’s Homing All the Way Killer (HAWK), Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) missile defense systems, the State Department announced yesterday. The total cost of the upgraded sale would be $65 million.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of an important regional partner. The UAE is a vital US partner for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East,” the State Department said in a press release.
