WASHINGTON — Surveillance systems for Saudi Arabia, light attack aircraft for Kenya and missiles for Kuwait headline a group of foreign weapon sales cleared by the State Department late Monday.
The five sales, which also include C-17 logistics support for the UK and AH-64D Apache support for Kuwait, total $1.85 billion in potential sales for US companies. And while there may be a few sales that still stagger in, these sales likely represent the last major clutch of defense sales from the Obama administration.
The sales bring the total foreign weapon sales cleared by State for fiscal 2017 to $47.1 billion, keeping it on pace to shatter the all-time sales record set in 2012.
Included in the sales:
- An estimated $525 million from Saudi Arabia to purchase 10 74K Persistent Threat Detection System Aerostat systems, with assorted cameras and sensors. While no prime contractor is listed, Lockheed Martin would seem a likely producer for the systems, which are tethered to the ground and used for surveillance.
- An estimated $418 million from Kenya to purchase up to 12 Air Tractor AT- 802L light attack planes, as well as two AT-504 trainer aircraft, specifically to supplement Kenya’s aging F-5 fleet. The Air Tractor is an agricultural plane that can be equipped with armaments, including precision-guided munitions. The State solicitation notes the planes provide "a needed capability in the ongoing efforts to counter al-Shabaab." The prime contractor will be L-3.
- An estimated $400 million from Kuwait for sustainment and contractor logistics support for AH-64D Apache helicopters. That support includes maintainer unit support, depot-level support, training devices, helmets, simulators, generators, transportation, wheeled vehicles and organization equipment, as well as spare parts. Contractors include Boeing; Longbow Limited, a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman; Lockheed Martin; and DynCorp International.
- An estimated $400 million for C-17 logistics and support from the United Kingdom. That includes labor, quality assurance, centralized maintenance support and other logistics updates for the UK’s fleet of C-17s, whose current contract for logistics support expires in September. The prime contractor will be Boeing.
- An estimated $110 million from Kuwait to purchase a lot of 60 AIM-120C-7 Advanced-Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, produced by Raytheon. The weapons will support Kuwait’s purchase of the Boeing-made F/A-18 Super Hornet, which was cleared by the State Department late last year after a lengthy process.
As with all notifications put online at the Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s website, these are notifications to Congress and not guarantees of sales. Even if cleared by Congress, the sales can still alter during negotiations.
Aaron Mehta was deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News, covering policy, strategy and acquisition at the highest levels of the Defense Department and its international partners.
