US Approves $7bn in Aircraft, Missiles Sales to Arab Allies

Local Editor

The US on Thursday approved a series of deals worth more than $7bn to supply military helicopters, planes and missiles to four of its Arab allies.

The biggest agreement announced on Thursday was for a $3.51bn sale to the Saudi kingdom of 48 CH-47F Chinook cargo helicopters with spare engines and machine guns.

Next, the United Arab Emirates want to spend $3.5bn on 27 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters plus support equipment, made by Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

Qatar, meanwhile, had requested eight C-17 military cargo jets and spare engines in a pair of contracts totaling $781m.

And Washington also approved a contract to sell Morocco 1,200 TOW 2A anti-tank missiles made by US arms giant Raytheon for $108m.

The green light, announced by the State Department, will mark another windfall for plane maker Boeing and other US military manufacturers.

But critics may deride the sales because of Saudi Arabia's and the UAE's controversial role in Yemen's ongoing war.

Boeing and Honeywell Aerospace will be the main contractors. As many as 60 Americans - both private and government employees - will work in Saudi Arabia to maintain the aircraft.

Although the State Department approved the sales after consultation with the Pentagon, Congress could still block them in theory.

Since all four Arab countries involved are US allies and past major arms purchasers, however, the contracts are expected to be approved without problem - despite human rights groups' criticism of US support for the US-backed Saudi-led aggression in Yemen, which had martyred many civilians.

Gulf countries had gone on massive military spending sprees recently.

In late November, Kuwait bought 28 F-18 Super Hornets to replace a fleet of earlier versions of the US fighter jets. And the US Senate cleared a $1bn-plus sale of Abrams tanks to Saudi Arabia in September.

On Thursday, Human Rights Watch called for an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia over its war on Yemen, saying the US could be held accountable for the "atrocities" being perpetrated against war-stricken Yemenis.

Last week, the New York-based rights body had called for Washington to "immediately" halt arms sales to the Saudi regime and review the participation of US forces in Riyadh's "unlawful" air raids against Yemen.

HRW said Washington has been withholding clarification on reports that US forces were providing aerial refueling, tactical intelligence, or other support to the deadly campaign.

Also on the list of US arms recipients as per the recently-announced contracts are Qatar, which has requested eight C-17 military cargo jets and spare engines in a pair of contracts totaling $781 million, and Morocco, which is slated to take delivery of 1,200 TOW 2A anti-tank missiles for $108 million.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team