Azernews.Az

by Alimat Aliyeva

The U.S. State Department has approved a potential arms sale to Saudi Arabia involving up to 20,000 precision-guided missile kits with an estimated total value of $1.96 billion, according to the U.S. Foreign Ministry’s press service, AzerNEWS reports.

The Saudi government had previously submitted a request to purchase up to 10,000 APKWS-II (Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System) laser-guided kits for air-to-air missile applications, as well as an additional 10,000 kits for air-to-ground missions. The State Department has now approved the possible agreement, with the total contract value estimated at nearly $2 billion.

The proposed deal also includes related military equipment, such as LAU-131 launchers, Mk-152 warheads, and other support systems. BAE Systems is expected to serve as the main contractor for the project.

The U.S. administration has formally notified Congress about the potential weapons sale. Under U.S. law, lawmakers have 30 days to review the agreement and decide whether to raise objections or attempt to block the transaction.

The planned sale comes as Saudi Arabia continues to modernize its armed forces and strengthen its defense capabilities amid growing security challenges in the Middle East. The APKWS-II system is considered a cost-effective precision weapon because it can transform standard unguided rockets into guided munitions, allowing for greater accuracy while reducing operational costs.