United States Approves Sales Of 600 Patriot Missiles Worth IDR 78.4 Trillion To Germany

German Patriot missile launcher. (Wikimedia Commons/yetdark)

JAKARTA - The United States approved the sale of up to 600 Patriot missiles and related equipment worth US$5 billion (Rp78,480,000,000,000) to Germany, which has donated several advanced air defense systems to Ukraine.

The proposed PAC-3 MSE missile sale "will support US foreign policy and national security by increasing the security of NATO allies which is an important force for political and economic stability in Europe," the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement Thursday.

The sale is said to enhance Germany's ability to face current and future threats, as well as increase its military defense capabilities.

"The sale will support Germany's goal of increasing national and territorial defense and interoperability with US and NATO forces," the statement added.

Based on the new North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) defense plan, Germany needs to double its air defenses to protect its infrastructure and military forces in the event of severe tensions or wars, a security source told Reuters last month.

Germany is known to have 36 Patriot air defense systems, which launched missiles, when it became NATO's frontline country during the Cold War.

Currently, German troops live with nine Patriot units, having donated three units to Ukraine since the Russian invasion in 2022.

The US State Department approved a possible sale of the missile, and DSCA on Thursday gave a necessary notification to the US Congress, which still needs to sign the transaction.

After the outbreak of the Ukraine war, Berlin abandoned its passive stance and has become the second-largest military aid supplier to Kyiv, after Washington.