A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor
is launched from a THAAD battery located on Wake Island during Flight Test
Operational (FTO)-02 Event 2a, conducted Nov. 1, 2015. Ben Listerman/Missile
Defense Agency
US approves sale of advanced missile defense
system to Saudi Arabia
In possible effort to assure Israel, State
Department says THAAD 'will not alter the basic military balance in the region'
By AFP October 7,
2017, 1:11 am
WASHINGTON — The US government has approved the sale to
Saudi Arabia of the advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile
defense system for $15 billion, the State Department said Friday.
“This sale furthers US national security and foreign
policy interests, and supports the long-term security of Saudi Arabia and the
Gulf region in the face of Iranian and other regional threats,” a statement
said.
THAAD — which has already been supplied to Saudi Arabia’s
neighbors Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — is one of the most capable
defensive missile batteries in the US arsenal and comes equipped with an
advanced radar system.
Its recent deployment by the US military in South Korea
to protect against any North Korean strike drew protests from Beijing, who feared
its sensors would be able to penetrate into Chinese air space and upset the
balance of power.
But the State Department said it would advise Congress
that, in Saudi hands, the system would act to stabilize the situation in the
Gulf and help defend US forces in the region and their allies, who face a
growing Iranian missile capability.
“The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not
alter the basic military balance in the region,” it said in what may also have
been an effort to reassure Israel.
Officials told AFP that the sale, which can go ahead if
the US Congress does not object within 30 days, should be seen as part of an
overall $110 billion arms package that US President Donald Trump promised the
Saudi kingdom during a visit in May.
“This potential sale will substantially increase Saudi
Arabia’s capability to defend itself against the growing ballistic missile
threat in the region,” a statement said.
“THAAD’s exo-atmospheric, hit-to-kill capability will add
an upper-tier to Saudi Arabia’s layered missile defense architecture.”
The main US contractors who will profit from the sale are
aerospace giant Lockheed Martin’s space systems division and defense contractor
Raytheon.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this
report.
Original post: timesofisrael.com
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