US approves $1 billion arms sale to UAE, $400 million sale to Kuwait

The United States announces the approval of a $1 billion sale to the United Arab Emirates of up to 10,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guidance sections for rockets.

“The proposed sale will improve the United Arab Emirates’ capability to meet current and future threats by developing and maintaining a strong and ready self-defense capability and improving interoperability with US forces,” the US State Department says in a statement.

It “will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major defense partner,” the statement adds.

The Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System converts unguided rockets into precision munitions that can be employed for purposes including shooting down drones, thereby avoiding the use of costly missiles to shoot down comparatively cheap aircraft.

The UAE and other US-allied Gulf countries have been hard hit by the Iran war, during which Tehran’s forces have repeatedly targeted them with both drones and missiles.

The State Department also announces the approval of a $400 million sale to Kuwait of “repair and return services” for Patriot missiles, which have played a key role in countering Iranian attacks in the region.

“Kuwait will use the enhanced capability to strengthen its homeland defense” and “will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces,” the department says in a statement.