The U.S. State Department has announced an order from NATO Support and Procurement Agency to supply the NATO countries with a precision guided munitions kits for an estimated cost of $320.5 million.
The U.S. Defense Security Co-operation Agency (DSCA) announced in a 19 November statement that the State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the NATO Support and Procurement Agency of precision guided munitions kits.
The components that comprise the kits are: 500 KMU-556 F/B Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) Kits for GBU-31 2000-lbs; 40 KMU-557 F/B JDAM Kits for GBU-31 2000-lbs; 1,500 KMU-572 F/B JDAM Kits for GBU-38 500-lbs; 1,000 Munitions Adapter Unit (MAU)-210 F/B Enhanced Computer Control Groups (ECCGs) for GBU-48 1,000-lb EPII; 300 MAU-210 F/B ECCGs for GBU-49 500-lbs EPII; 300 MXU-650K/B AFGs for GBU-49 500-lbs EPII; 1,025 MAU-209 C/B or MAU-169 L/B CCGs for GBU-12 500 lbs Paveway II; 1,025 MXU-650 K/B AFGs for GBU-12 500 lbs Paveway II; 4,365 Joint Programmable Fuze, FMU-152 A/B for all GBU types.
Also includes Detector Sensing Unit (DSU)-38A/B Laser kits, DSU-33D/B proximity sensors, Wireless Paveway Avionics Kit (WIPAK) interfaces for Enhanced Paveway II bombs, repair and return services, transportation, engineering services, and other support services.
This proposed sale supports the foreign policy and national security of the United States by increasing the flexibility of Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom – twelve NATO nations and one Partnership for Peace nation – to contribute to overseas contingency operations. This sale increases the quantity of precision-guided munitions within NATO and allows for their pre-coordinated transfer in support of national and NATO requirements.
The proposed sale improves NATO’s capability to meet current and future ground threats with precision. NATO will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats, and to increase interoperability within contingency operations. Many of the purchasing nations already have precision-guided munitions in their inventories; and they will all have no difficulty absorbing these kits.
The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.
The prime contractors for production are the Boeing Corporation of St Louis, Missouri, and Raytheon Missile Systems of Tucson, Arizona. The principle contractor for integration is unknown and will be determined during contract negotiations. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.
