US Sells Weapons Worth IDR 10 Trillion to Saudi Arabia and UAE
The United States (US) government agreed to sell weapons worth USD583 million or Rp. 9 trillion to Saudi Arabia. This sale occurred amid increasing tensions in the Gulf following a series of maritime attacks by the Houthi group. The US State Department said the sale includes modernization of the RE-3A Tactical Airborne Surveillance System (TASS) Aircraft and related equipment. Saudi Arabia has requested to purchase equipment to modernize TASS aircraft acquired from Boeing in the 1980s. The Gulf kingdom wants seven GPS/INS security systems, communications hardware and signals intelligence systems, among other equipment. “This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by enhancing Saudi Arabia's surveillance capabilities to counter current and future regional threats,” the Pentagon said in a statement
Along with the sale to Saudi Arabia, the Biden administration said it had approved the sale of 18 AN/TPQ-50 radar systems worth USD 85 million (Rp. 1.3 trillion) to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Biden administration notified the US Congress of both sales. Congress just needs to give final approval. The US said the sale would protect critical infrastructure and high-value civilian assets as well as military installations from rocket and artillery fire, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles. “The UAE is an important US partner for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East,” the Pentagon said in a statement
"This sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping enhance the security of an important regional partner," the statement added. Both sales occurred when the Middle East was hit by war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Palestinian armed groups led by Hamas. Before the conflict erupted, the US had attempted to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. American officials say the October 7 Hamas attack in southern Israel was designed in part to derail that process. The UAE itself normalized relations with Israel in 2020 as part of a US-brokered agreement called the Abraham Accords.
