The State Department approved a possible $5.4 billion Foreign Military Sale (FMS) request to Saudi Arabia for Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles and associated equipment, parts and logistical support.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of the potential sale on July 28.
The primary contractors would be Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Raytheon [RTN]. Offsets were requested but are currently unknown and will be determined during negotiations between Saudi Arabia and the contractors.
The requested FMS would include 600 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Cost Reduction Initiative (CRI) missiles with containers, eight PAC-3 CRI test missiles for fly-to-buy, PAC-3 telemetry kits, PAC-3 Guidance Enhanced Missile (GEM) Flight Test Target/Patriot as a Target (PAAT) missiles, fire solution computers, launcher modification kits, PAC-3 missile round trainers, PAC-3 slings, and Patriot Automated Logistics System (PALS) Kits.
The sale would also include shorting plugs, spare and repair parts, lot validation and range support, support equipment, repair and return, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, quality assurance team, U.S. government and contractor technical and logistics support services and other related elements of logistics and program support.
DSCA said the sale would modernize and replenish Saudi Arabia’s Patriot missile stockpile, “which is becoming obsolete and difficult to sustain due to age and limited availability of repair parts.”
Saudi Arabia would use the missiles to support current and future defense missions and promote stability within the region, DSCA said in a statement.
Implementation of the FMS would require about 30 U.S. government personnel and 40 contractor representatives to travel to Saudi Arabia for upwards of 60 months for equipment de-processing, fielding, system checkout, training, and technical logistics support.