The United States has signed a $3.5 billion sale of an advanced antimissile interception system to the United Arab Emirates, part of an accelerating military buildup of its friends and allies near Iran. The deal, signed on December 25 and announced on Friday night by the US Defence Department, "is an important step in improving the region's security through a regional missile defence architecture," Pentagon press secretary George Little said in a statement.
The US Congress had been notified of the proposed sale in September 2008 by former President George W. Bush's administration. At that time, the system built by Lockheed Martin Corp had been projected to involve more missiles, more "fire control" units, more radar sets, all at a cost roughly twice as much to UAE. It marks the first foreign sale of the so-called Theater High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD), the only system designed to destroy short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles both inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere.
The United States, under the government-to-government deal, will deliver two THAAD batteries, 96 missiles, two Raytheon Co AN/TPY-2 radars plus 30 years of spare parts, support and training with contractor logistics support to the UAE, Little said.
"Acquisition of this critical defence system will bolster the UAE's air and missile defence capability and enhance the already robust ballistic missile defence co-operation between the United States and the UAE," he said. Lockheed Martin did not immediately respond to a request for its delivery timetable for THAAD, part of a layered bulwark being built by the Obama administration in Europe and the Middle East against Iran's growing missile capabilities.
IRAN TENSIONS UAE lies across the Gulf from Iran. The announcement of its purchase underlined rising tensions since a November 8 report from the UN nuclear watchdog that Iran appears to have worked on designing a nuclear bomb and may still be pursuing research to that end.
Iran delayed promised long-range missile tests in the Gulf on Saturday and signalled it was ready for fresh talks on its disputed nuclear program. Tehran on Tuesday threatened to stop the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz if it became the target of an oil embargo over its nuclear ambitions.
The THAAD follows a $1.7 billion direct commercial contract this year to upgrade Saudi Arabia's Patriot antimissile missiles, and a sale this year of 209 advanced Patriot missiles to Kuwait, valued at roughly $900 million, the Defence Department said.
On Thursday, the Obama administration announced it had sealed a deal on December 24 to sell $29.4 billion in advanced Boeing Co F-15 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, the priciest single US arms sale yet. The Saudi sale involves 84 new F-15SA models to be delivered starting in 2015 plus upgrades to 70 F-15s already in the Saudi fleet and new munitions. Congress had been notified of that deal in October 2010.
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