US State Department approves possible sale of surveillance system to Saudi Arabia
The State Department has approved the possible sale of RE-3A Tactical Airborne Surveillance System Aircraft Modernization and related equipment to Saudi Arabia for an estimated $582 million.
According to a statement from the Pentagon, Saudi Arabia had requested to buy: Seven Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System (GPS/INS) (EGI) security devices, Airborne, with Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM) or M-Code capability, and five L3Harris BlackRock Communications Intelligence Sensor Suites.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving Saudi Arabia’s surveillance capability to counter current and future regional threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and improve interoperability with systems operated by US forces and other Gulf Region partners,” the statement said.
Saudi Arabia will have no difficulty absorbing these systems into its armed forces, the Pentagon said.
The principal contractor will be Texas-based L3 Technologies and implementation of the proposed sale will not require any additional US government or contractor representatives to be sent to Saudi Arabia.
Bilateral ties between the US and Saudi Arabia go back almost 80 years. The State Department says both countries have a common interest in preserving the Gulf region’s stability, security and prosperity and “consult closely on a wide range of regional and global issues.
Saudi Arabia, the State Department says, also plays an important role in working toward a peaceful and prosperous future for the region and is a strong partner in security and counterterrorism efforts and in military, diplomatic, and financial cooperation.
Separately, the State Department also approved the possible sale of AN/TPQ-50 Radar and related equipment to the UAE for an estimated cost of $85 million.
“The UAE is a vital US partner for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East,” the Pentagon said.
The US said that the sale will also support efforts to protect critical infrastructure and high-value civilian assets, as well as military installations and forces from rocket, artillery, and mortar (RAM) and unmanned aerial system threats. “It will also further enhance the United States – UAE relationship, both politically and militarily, while also increasing the UAE’s effectiveness in executing military and civil defense operations that promote US national interests.”
The TPQ-50 radars, Washington said, will be used to recognize incoming threats from hostile nations or agents of adversary nations.
