US defense giant Lockheed Martin has won a more than $1.4 billion modification contract extension to produce more Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors for the United States and Saudi Arabia, the Defense Department announced in a press release.
“Lockheed Martin Corporation Missiles and Fire Control [of] Dallas, Texas is being awarded a $1,423,660,558 modification to a previously-awarded contract for the production of THAAD Interceptors and associated one-shot devices to support the US. government and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA),” the release said on Thursday.
The sale to Saudi Arabia will follow so-called foreign military sales case requirements and the interceptors and associated one-shot devices will be procured under fixed-price incentive contract line items, the release added.
Additionally, Lockheed Martin also won a $3.2 billion contract to make AN/TPQ-53 radar systems for unidentified US allies, the Defense Department announced in a press release.
“Lockheed Martin [of] Liverpool, New York was awarded a $3,268,232,049 firm-fixed-price contract for full-rate production of AN/TPQ-53 radar systems and associated spare parts and services, and deployment to various Foreign Military Sales countries,” the release said on Thursday.
Work on the contract is projected to take five years with an estimated completion date of March 30, 2027, the release said.
The solid-state phased array AN/TPQ-53 radar system, or, Q-53, detects, classifies, tracks and determines the location of enemy indirect fire in either 360 or 90-degree modes, Lockheed Martin said.
The Q-53 is replacing the aging AN/TPQ-36 and AN/TPQ-37 medium-range radars in the US Army’s inventory, it added.
Earlier, the Biden administration had approved the sale of $65 million of spare parts for Patriot radars and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense systems to the United Arab Republic (UAE), the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced in a press release.
“The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the United Arab Emirates of Foreign Military Sales Order (FMSO) II Case and related equipment for an estimated cost of $65 million,” the release said.
The agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of the possible sale also on Thursday, the release said.
“The UAE has requested to buy… common spares/repair parts to support [its] Homing All the Way Killer (HAWK), Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target (PATRIOT) and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) weapon systems,” the release added.
An earlier FMS case, valued at $30 million, provided the initial requirement and the amended FMS case would extend the funding to cover an additional three years raising the estimated total case value to $65 million, according to the release.
- Via: Sputnik News Agency
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