United States To Sell 280 Air-to-Air Missiles To Arabia With A Value Of IDR 9.3 Trillion

Ilustrasi misil AIM 120 AMRAAM. (Wikimedia Commons/Official US Navy/MC3 Ricardo R. Guzman)

JAKARTA - The United States Department of State approved its first major arms sale to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under President Joe Biden, with the sale of 280 air-to-air missiles worth up to $650 million, the Pentagon said Thursday.

While Saudi Arabia is an important partner in the Middle East, US lawmakers have criticized Riyadh for its involvement in the war in Yemen, a conflict considered one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters. They have refused to approve many military sales to the kingdom without guarantees that US equipment will not be used to kill civilians.

Citing Reuters November 5, the Pentagon notified Congress of the sale on Thursday. If approved, the deal would be the first sale to Saudi Arabia since the Joe Biden Administration adopted a policy of selling only defensive weapons to the Gulf ally.

The State Department approved the sale on October 26, a spokesman said, adding the air-to-air missile sales came after "an increase in cross-border attacks against Saudi Arabia over the past year."

Illustration of the AIM 120 AMRAAM missile. (Wikimedia Commons/US Navy/Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Felix Garza Jr)

"The sale is fully consistent with the government's pledge to lead with diplomacy to end the conflict in Yemen," a State Department spokesman said in a statement.

"The air-to-air missile ensures Saudi Arabia has the means to defend itself against the Iran-backed Houthi airstrikes," he said.

After the Donald Trump Administration's friendly relationship with Riyadh, the Joe Biden Administration recalculated its approach to Saudi Arabia, a country that has grave human rights problems but is also one of the United States' closest allies in countering the threat posed by Iran.

To note, this sales package will include 280 AIM-120C-7/C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM), 596 LAU-128 Missile Rail Launchers (MRL) along with containers and supporting equipment, spare parts, contractor engineering, and technical support.

Although approved by the State Department, the notification does not indicate that a contract has been signed or that negotiations have concluded.