The U.S. State Department on Friday said it has approved a possible foreign military sale to Germany of AGM-88 high-speed anti-radiation missiles.
Berlin had requested through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) acting as its Agent, up to 91 AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) Tactical Missiles, and up to 8 AGM-88E AARGM Captive Air Training Missiles (CATM), according to the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).
“Also included are up to six (6) telemetry/flight termination systems, Flight Data Recorders (FDR), U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services and miscellaneous support equipment, and other related elements of logistical and program support. ”, said the agency, adding that “The total estimated cost is $122.86 million”.
The U.S. government says the proposed foreign military sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a NATO ally, which is an important force for political and economic stability in Europe. It is vital to the U.S. national interests that Germany develops and maintains a strong and ready self-defense capability.
The AGM-88E AARGM is an upgrade to the older generation AGM-88B High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM), which Germany first purchased in 1988. The AGM-88E AARGMs, in this case, will be manufactured using a mixture of new components and older sections from Germany’s existing stock of AGM-88Bs provided as Government Furnished Equipment (GFE).
Germany will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment and support into its armed forces.
