The US State Department has announced that the potential sale of an $4.67 billion surface-to-air missile package will be approved by the Pentagon.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced in a statement on Thursday that it had consented to a “possible Foreign Military Sale” of a package that included hundreds of missiles, hundreds of NASAMS, and dozens of guidance units.
A new air defense system developed by the US and Norway is called NASAMS, and it is intended to repel cruise missiles, drones, and other hostile aircraft.
As part of the potential agreement, US government employees and contractors will also provide the Egyptian military with engineering, technical, and logistics support.
Egypt will be a key factor in the United States’ efforts to advance its foreign policy objectives and national security goals, according to a statement from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which refers to Egypt.
A US multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate, RTX Corporation, with headquarters in Massachusetts, will serve as the company’s principal contractor.
The defense agency claimed it had already “delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale.”
About 26 US government employees and 34 contractors will travel to Egypt for an “extended period” to provide training and technical and logistics support if approved.
Since signing a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, Cairo, a long-standing US ally in the Middle East, has received generous defense funding from Washington.
However, recent years have shown signs of warming ties between Egypt and China, including the two nations’ first-ever joint military exercises, which were held in April and May of this year.
Source: Aljazeera
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