Kuwait is moving to strengthen its air defenses following months of missile and drone attacks that have exposed new vulnerabilities in one of Washington’s closest Gulf partners. On June 8, the US State Department approved a possible $1.98 billion sale of counter-unmanned aerial systems to Kuwait. The package includes Anduril’s Roadrunner-M and Anvil interceptor drones, electronic warfare systems, surveillance towers, and command-and-control software designed to detect, track and defeat hostile unmanned aircraft.

The decision comes after Kuwait has, over the past few weeks, found itself increasingly drawn into a conflict it had long sought to avoid. On June 3, Iranian missiles and drones struck Kuwait International Airport, killing one person and injuring more than 60 others in one of the most serious attacks on Kuwaiti territory in decades. According to Kuwaiti authorities, the barrage involved 13 ballistic missiles and 17 drones, some of which penetrated the country’s air-defense network and struck civilian infrastructure. In response, the Kuwaiti government summoned Iran’s charge d’affaires, formally protested the strikes and expelled two Iranian diplomats.

The attack was not an isolated incident. Since the outbreak of the Iran war in February, Kuwait has faced more than 1,250 missile and drone attacks launched by Iran and Iran-linked actors, making it the GCC’s third-most-targeted state after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. On June 10, Iran again claimed responsibility for strikes against US-linked facilities in Kuwait, including Ali Al Salem and Ahmad Al-Jaber air bases, following a new round of American military operations against Iranian targets.

More than a procurement decision, the Anduril deal reflects vulnerabilities that have been exposed by months of conflict.