U.S. State Department approves potential anti-drone system sale to Qatar for $1 billion
Reuters
Published Nov 29, 2022 03:24PM ET
Updated Nov 29, 2022 07:56PM ET
By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of an anti-drone system to Qatar in a deal valued at $1 billion, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
The principal contractors will be Raytheon Technologies (NYSE:RTX) Corp, SRC and Northrop Grumman Corp (NYSE:NOC), the Pentagon said in a statement. It added that the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the possible sale on Tuesday.
The potential sale approval comes after U.S. President Joe Biden, earlier this year, designated Qatar as a major non-NATO ally of the United States, granting special status to a key friend in a turbulent region.
"Qatar is a good friend and reliable and capable partner. And I'm notifying Congress that I will designate Qatar as a major non-NATO ally to reflect the importance of our relationship. I think it's long overdue," Biden said in January when he met Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
Separately, Qatar has also played a role in the Iran nuclear talks and in relations with Afghanistan, where Washington's interests were represented by the small Gulf country.
The proposed sale will improve Qatar's capability to meet threats by providing electronic and kinetic defeat capabilities against drones, the Pentagon said.
It will require the assignment of five additional U.S. government and 15 U.S. contractor representatives to Qatar for five years to support fielding, training and sustainment activities, the statement added.
Despite approval by the State Department, the notification does not indicate that a contract has been signed or that negotiations have concluded.
Get The News You Want
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.