The State Department has approved Australia’s request to buy General Atomics-built MQ-9B remotely piloted aircraft, related equipment and services under a $1.651 billion foreign military sales agreement.
The transaction includes the purchase of up to 12 units of MQ-9B, Multispectral Targeting systems-D EO/IR sensors, Lynx AN/APY-8 synthetic aperture radars with ground moving target indicator, RIOTM communication intelligence systems, embedded GPS/inertial navigations systems with selective availability anti-spoofing modules and KMU-572 Joint Direct Attack Munitions tail kits for 500-pound bombs, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Friday.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Raytheon Technologies (NYSE: RTX) and Leonardo will serve as principal contractors in the proposed sale, which will provide Australia with target acquisition and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to counter existing and future threats.
The FMS agreement also includes government and contractor engineering, staff training and training equipment, aircraft and weapons integration and logistics support services, Leonardo SAGE 750 electronic surveillance measures system, ARC-210 radios and Hellfire training missiles.
DSCA said it notified Congress of the proposed sale Friday.
