27 April 2021

Update: US approves potential sale of up to 12 weapons-ready MQ-9B UAVs to Australia

by Gabriel Dominguez & Julian Kerr

The US State Department has approved a potential USD1.65 billion Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Australia of up to 12 weapons-ready MQ-9B medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), along with related equipment and services.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 23 April that the government in Canberra requested to buy the UAVs, which are made by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI), along with 15 Raytheon Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems-D (MTS-D), 16 Lynx AN/APY-8 synthetic aperture radars featuring ground moving target indicators, 15 Rio communication intelligence systems, and 36 embedded global positioning systems/inertial navigation systems with selective availability anti-spoofing modules.

The proposed sale, which still needs to be approved by the US Congress, also includes six KMU-572 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) tail kits for 500 lb bombs; four MXU-650 airfoil groups for 500-lb Paveway II GBU-12 laser-guided bombs (LGBs), seven MXU-1006 airfoil groups for 250-lb Paveway II GBU-58 LGBs, four MAU-169 or MAU-209 Computer Control Groups for 250-lb/500-lb Paveway II GBU-58/GBU-12 LGBs, six FMU-139 fuse systems, 12 MK-82 general purpose 500-lb inert bombs, and five high-bandwidth compact telemetry modules, according to the DSCA.

The DSCA announced on 23 April that the US State Department has approved a potential USD1.65 billion sale to Australia of up to 12 weapons-ready MQ-9B UAVs, along with related equipment and services. (GA-ASI)

The US State Department has approved a potential USD1.65 billion Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Aust...

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