"The government of Kuwait has requested to buy eight (8) AH-64E Apache Longbow Attack Helicopters and remanufacture sixteen (16) of their AH-64D Apache Longbow Attack Helicopters to the AH-64E configuration consisting of: eight (8) AH-64E Apache Helicopters (new procurement); sixteen (16) AH-64E Apache Helicopters (remanufacture)," the release said on Tuesday. "The total estimated cost is $4.0 billion."
A separate DSCA release announced a State Department approval for a proposed $200 million sale of spare parts for Kuwait’s upgraded Patriot missile defense system.
The DSCA claimed that both sales support US foreign policy and national security, by helping to strengthen the forces of a major non-NATO ally that is said to be a key element in political stability and economic progress for the Middle East.
The principal contractors for the Apache agreement include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Electric, Raytheon and Longbow, while the DSCA named Raytheon as a primary supplier of equipment for the Patriot missile defense system.
Deliveries of Aircraft Defense System to Egypt
The State Department also signed off on a potential $104 million sale of aircraft infrared technology to Egypt, plus a separate $64.6 million sale of advanced sniper targeting pods, the DSCA said in separate announcements.
“The Government of Egypt has requested to buy one (1) AN/AAQ-24(V)N Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) system to protect one (1) Airbus 340-200 Head-of-State aircraft,” a DSCA press release said on Tuesday. “The estimated total cost is $104 million.
The so-called self-protection suite is claimed to improve the survivability of an Airbus airplane that serves as Egypt’s equivalent of US Air Force One. Weapons manufacturer Northrop Grumman will supply the equipment, the release said.
In a separate release, the DSCA said that the State Department had also approved the sale of Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods and related equipment to Egypt for an estimated $65.6 million, with Lockheed Martin designated as the primary contractor.
Saudi Arabia to Buy 3,000 Bombs
In a statement the State Department said that it has also approved a possible sale of 3,000 small diameter bombs to Saudi Arabia in a deal worth of $290 million.
"The [State Department’s] Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today," the statement on Tuesday.
The State Department said that Saudi Arabia requested to buy GBU-39 SDB I munitions with containers, support equipment and services, spare and repair parts.
The State Department said the proposed sale will help to improve "the security of a friendly country that continues to be an important force for political stability and economic growth in the Middle East."