30.10.2014, 10:34
Zitat:Wednesday, October 29th, 2014 | Posted by WorldTribune.com<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.worldtribune.com/2014/10/29/qatar-emerging-top-client-u-s-advanced-military-platforms-d/">http://www.worldtribune.com/2014/10/29/ ... atforms-d/</a><!-- m -->
Qatar emerging as top client for U.S. advanced military platforms despite radical ties
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Officials said Qatar ordered a third of U.S. arms sales during fiscal 2014, which ended on Oct. 1. They said Doha submitted $11 billion in orders, which contributed to a total of $34.2 billion in U.S. arms exports from October 2013 to Sept. 30 2014.
“In a relationship context, every single sale is important to us,” Defense Security Cooperation Agency director Joseph Rixey said.
In July 2014, Qatar ordered 10 PAC-3 ballistic missile defense batteries, 24 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters and 500 Javelin anti-tank guided missiles.
Under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program, the Gulf Cooperation Council emirate was joined by the United Arab Emirates, which submitted a $2.5 billion order for 4,500 mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles and a $2 billion contract for the modernization of Saudi Arabia’s airborne warning and control aircraft fleet.
“In the broader foreign policy realm, FMS often serves as the basis for long-term relationships between partner countries and the United States,” Rixey said.
DSCA said arms exports for fiscal 2014 marked an increase from the previous year, when sales reached $30 billion. Arms exports peaked in 2012 at $69.1 billion, based on a $29 billion order by Saudi Arabia for the F-15 fighter-jet.
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