Particle.news
Download on the App Store

U.S. Fast-Tracks $16.5 Billion Air and Missile Defense Sales to UAE, Kuwait and Jordan

The State Department invoked emergency authority, waiving congressional review to speed deliveries in response to intensified Iranian missile and drone attacks.

Overview

  • Notifications detail packages for the UAE that include a $4.5 billion long-range discrimination radar integrated with THAAD, $2.1 billion in FS-LIDS counter-drone systems, about $1.22 billion for roughly 400 AIM-120C AMRAAMs, and $644 million in F-16 munitions and upgrades.
  • Kuwait is cleared for up to eight Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor radars valued at about $8 billion to bolster lower-tier detection and tracking.
  • Jordan’s approved case totals $70.5 million for aircraft maintenance, spare parts and logistics tied to its existing fleet.
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined an emergency existed under the Arms Export Control Act, enabling immediate processing and bypassing the standard congressional review period.
  • U.S. officials cast the expedited sales as reinforcing layered defenses and interoperability for key partners as Iranian strikes escalate, with prime contractors listed including Lockheed Martin and RTX.