The State Department approved a possible $69 million Foreign Military Sale (FMS) request to Australia for AGM-88B High Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles and associated equipment, parts and logistical support.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of the potential sale on June 19.

The primary contractor would be Orbital ATK [OA].

An AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile. Photo: Raytheon.
An AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile. Photo: Raytheon.

The requested FMS would include up to 14 AGM-88B High Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles (HARM) Tactical Missiles, 16 AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missiles (AARGM) Tactical Missiles, four CATM-88B Captive Air Training Missiles, eight CATM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missiles (AARGM) Captive Air Training Missiles, six AARGM Guidance Sections, five AARGM Control Sections, and two AARGM Tactical Telemetry Missiles (for live fire testing),

The sale would also include containers, spares and repair parts, support equipment, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services, and other elements of logistics and program support.

The AGM-88 is a tactical air-to-surface missile used to suppress or destroy surface-to-air missile radar and radar-directed air defense artillery systems. It homes in on electronic transmissions and produced by Raytheon [RTN].

Australia would use the equipment as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense, DSCA said. The agency also highlighted that “It is vital to the U.S. national interest to assist our ally in developing and maintaining a strong and ready self-defense capability.”

Implementation of the FMS would not require the assignment of U.S. government or contractor personnel to Australia.