DOHA – The United States has approved a possible sale of advanced defense equipment worth approximately $2 billion to Qatar.
According to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the deal includes 8 MQ-9B drones, three hundred (300) BLU-111 500-lb general purpose bombs, radar, satellite communication systems, and targeting systems, with a total value of $1.96 billion.
To ensure effective use of this equipment, the US will provide training and technical assistance to Qatar.
US officials stated that this deal will strengthen Qatar’s defense capabilities and enhance its surveillance capabilities to counter potential threats.
The equipment will primarily be used for the protection and security of Qatar’s territory. The US assured other regional countries that the deal would not affect the military balance in the region.
Two major U.S. defense companies, General Atomics and Lockheed Martin, will supply the equipment.
Complete List of Military Sales to Qatar
The Government of Qatar has requested to buy:
Eight (8) MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA)
Two hundred (200) KMU-572 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) tail kits for Guided Bomb Unit (GBU)-38 or Laser JDAM GBU-54
Three hundred (300) BLU-111 500-lb general purpose bombs
One hundred (100) MXU-650 air foil groups (AFG) for Paveway II GBU-12
One hundred (100) MAU-169 computer control groups (CCG) for Paveway II GBU-12
Twenty-eight (28) Embedded Global Positioning System (GPS)/Inertial Navigation System (INS) (EGI) security devices with M-Code
Twelve (12) EGI security devices with Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Modules (SAASM)
Ten (10) Lynx AN/APY-8 Synthetic Aperture Radars (SAR)
Ten (10) L3 Rio Grande communications intelligence (COMINT) sensor suites; one hundred ten (110) AGM-114R2 Hellfire II missiles; and eight (8) M36E9 Hellfire Captive Air Training Missiles (CATM).
The following non-MDE items will also be included:
Honeywell TPE-331 turboprop engines; Certifiable Ground Control Stations (CGCS); FMU-139D/B fuze systems; DSU-38 laser illuminated target detectors for GBU-54; KY-100M narrowband/wideband terminals; AN/PYQ-10 Simple Key Loaders (SKLs); Keying Identification Verification (KIV)-77 Mode 5 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) cryptographic appliques; Intrusion Prevention System (IPS)-250X High Assurance Internet Protocol Encryptor (HAIPE) Type 1 cryptographic communications security (COMSEC) devices; Cryptographic Core Modernization (CCM)-700A Type 1 COMSEC chips; AN/DPX-7 IFF transponders; Link-16 KOR-24A Small Tactical Terminals (STTs); Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) Electronic Surveillance Measure systems; AE-4500 Electronic Support Measure; Compact Multi-band Data Link (CMDL); Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER) 6Si compatible systems; Common Munitions Built-in-Test Reprogramming Equipment (CMBRE) Plus Block II; Mayflower Multi-Platform Anti-Jam GPS Navigation Antennas (MAGNA)-I, AS-4841; imaging systems; Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) Multi-Spectrum Targeting System (MTS); Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars (SeaSpray 7500 maritime radars); Due Regard Radar (DRR); Automatic Information System (AIS) transponders; Rohde & Schwartz Ultra High Frequency (UHF)/Very High Frequency (VHF) radios; satellite communications (SATCOM) ground station antennas, modems, and terminals with Unifi Security Gateway (USG) encryption; Ku-Band SATCOM GA-ASI Transportable Earth Stations (GATES); secure SATCOM systems; DSU-33D/B bomb components; M299 Longbow Hellfire launchers; weapons loading equipment; spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, and repair and return support; weapons integration; support and test equipment; facilities and construction support; publications and technical documentation; personnel training and training equipment; transportation and airlift support; studies and surveys; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support.
