The State Department approved two Foreign Military Sales (FMS) requests totaling $510 million for AIM-120C-7 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) as well as sustainment and contractor logistics support for AH-64D Apache Helicopters.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of the potential sales on Jan. 23.
The AMRAAM FMS includes 60 AIM-120C-7 AMRAAM Missiles including containers and other related services. The total value is estimated at $110 million.
The primary contractor is Raytheon [RTN].
The Apache FMS includes Apache Maintainer unit support; Depot Level support; training devices; helmets; simulators; generators; transportation; wheeled vehicles and organization equipment; spare and repair parts; support equipment; tools and test equipment; technical data and publications; personnel training and training equipment; U.S. government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics support. This sale is estimated at $400 million.
DSCA said the United States companies potentially involved in the second sale are Boeing [BA], Longbow Limited (a joint venture between Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Northrop Grumman [NOC]); Lockheed Martin; and DynCorp International.
Kuwait will use the AMRAAM sale to ensure a sustained air-to-air capability for the country’s F/A-18 aircraft and increase interoperability with the U.S. whereas in the second FMS Kuwait requires continued support for equipment already procured to ensure its national security interests and objectives are met, DSCA said.
The agency highlighted that under the sustainment sale, “defense articles maintained are used solely by the Ministry of Defense to protect the sovereign border and to conduct operations and training to include joint exercises with the U.S. military.”
DSCA also noted Kuwait plays a large role in U.S. stability efforts in the Middle East by providing basing, access, and transit for U.S. forces in the region.
Implementation of the AMRAAM sale requires no additional representatives to be assigned in-country but the sustainment program requires four U.S. government representatives and 65 contractors to be assigned to Kuwait for up to five years.