Eyeing the prize: US readies lucrative Saudi surveillance-gear deal

Washington continues military deals to Riyadh with potential multi-million dollar military surveillance gear sale.

1 min read

25 January, 2017

The aerostats will provide ground troops with intelligence and communications assistance [AFP]

The US State Department on Tuesday approved the potential sale of Persistent Threat Detection System aerostats to Saudi Arabia.

The proposed deal, which would come under the US Foreign Military Sales program, is worth an estimated $525 million.

In its notification to Congress, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said that the aerostats "will improve Saudi Arabia's capability to meet current and future threats and provide greater security for its critical infrastructure".

The 74K Persistent Threat Detection System Aerostat is a helium-filled, lighter-than-air system that can provide long-range intelligence to ground troops, as well as communications and reconnaisance assistance.

As part of the proposed deal, Saudi Arabia could receive 10 systems, 14 ground moving target indicator radars, 26 MX-20 electro-optic infrared cameras, and 10 communications intelligence sensors, Reuters reported.

The US has come under fire for providing arms to Saudi Arabia while the kingdom continues its aerial campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Riyadh has been accused of committing war crimes in Yemen, where airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition have hit schools, hospitals and civilian gatherings.

US lawmakers, meanwhile, have defended the deals, saying that the oil-rich kingdom is a key partner in the fight against global terror.