State Department OKs $1.65B MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft Sale to Australia

The State Department approved Australia’s purchase request General atomics-built MQ-9B remote controlled aircraft, related equipment and services under a $ 1.651 billion external military sales agreement.

The deal includes the purchase of up to 12 MQ-9B units, multispectral guidance systems-D EO / IR sensors, Lynx AN / APY-8 synthetic aperture radars with ground motion indicator, RIOTM communication systems, built-in GPS / inertial navigation systems with selective anti-counterfeiting modules and tail kits KMU-572 Joint Direct Attack Munitions for 500 kg bombs,, The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on Friday.

General Atomics aeronautical systems, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Raytheon Technologies (NYSE: RTX) and Leonardo will serve as the main contractors in the proposed sale, which will provide Australia with acquisition and intelligence, surveillance and intelligence capabilities to counter existing and future threats.

The FMS agreement also includes government and executive engineering, staff training and education equipment, aircraft and weapons integration and logistics support services, the Leonardo SAGE 750 electronic surveillance system, ARC-210 radios and Hellfire training missiles.

The DSCA said it notified Congress of the proposed sale Friday.

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