Capt Brett Hughes and Capt Kevin Tinsley from the 40th Flight Test Squadron fire an advanced medium-range air-to-air missile near Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Feb. 26, 2020. The AMRAAM has a range of up to 86 miles and flies at speeds over 3,000 mph. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. John Raven)
WASHINGTON — The State Department on Thursday approved a possible $3.64 billion foreign military sale of RTX-made Advanced Medium-Range Air-To-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) to Japan, including up to 1,200 missiles and associated additional guidance sections.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific region,” according to a notice from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
“The proposed sale will improve Japan’s capability to meet current and future threats by defending its homeland and U.S. personnel stationed there. Japan will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces,” the notice continues.
Details in DSCA announcements are not final; quantities and dollar totals often shift during negotiations, and today’s announcements technically tee up an opportunity for lawmakers to block the deal within a 30-day period, though such a step would be unlikely given the close military relationship between the US and Japan.
The approval comes at an otherwise tense moment for US-Japan relations as President Joe Biden today followed through on his threats to block Japan’s Nippon Steel from purchasing a Pittsburgh-based facility. The Washington Post reported earlier this week the Japanese company had sent a new offer to the administration, pledging to maintain American jobs, in an effort to salvage the deal that had become embroiled in election year politics, but those efforts apparently failed to sway the outgoing administration.
