US approves sale of Dh7.35bn missiles to UAE: Pentagon

The UAE government has requested the possible sale of 60 Patriot PAC-3 missiles with canisters made by Lockheed Martin and 100 Patriot guidance enhanced missiles made by Raytheon, among other military equipment, according to a US department of defence statement

A US-made Patriot missile is launched during annual exercises in Ilan County, 80 kilometres west of Taipei, Taiwan on July 20, 2006. AP Photo / File
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Washington // The US state department has approved the sale of 160 missiles to the UAE for an estimated US$2 billion (Dh7.35bn), the Pentagon said on Thursday.

The UAE government has requested the possible sale of 60 Patriot PAC-3 missiles with canisters made by Lockheed Martin and 100 Patriot guidance enhanced missiles made by Raytheon, among other military equipment, according to a department of defence statement.

It said the proposed sale would “contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by improving the security of an important ally which has been, and continues to be, a force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East”.

* Agence France-Presse and Reuters