The US State Department on November 29 confirmed the continuation of an arms sale agreement worth more than $ 1 billion to Qatar, after a long delay. Under this agreement, the Gulf country will receive from the US 10 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems, 200 UAV interceptors and related components and equipment.
“This agreement will support the foreign policies and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly nation. This will further create political stability and economic progress in the country. Middle East,” the US State Department said in a statement.
Qatar has offered to buy UAVs, including the modern MQ-9 attack drone, in 2020. However, US officials have been slow to approve the deal due to fear of offending Middle East allies such as Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain, countries that have a bad relationship with Qatar.
The MQ-9 Reaper is one of America’s flagship unmanned combat aircraft. It is used in reconnaissance missions and hits targets with high-precision weapons. Currently, the MQ-9 Reaper is equipped with AGM-114 Hellfire anti-tank guided missiles, GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs, and AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles.
Earlier, the US Department of Defense on November 28 confirmed that the State Department had approved the sale of 40 AIM 9X Block II tactical air-to-air missiles and 48 AGM-154 air-to-surface missiles to Finland. The value of this deal is expected to fall to about 323 million USD.
