US approves possible sale of Patriot missiles to Germany

Sale of estimated $5 billion will improve Germany’s capability to meet current, future threats, Pentagon says

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US State Department approved a possible sale of Patriot missiles to Germany for an estimated cost of $5 billion, the Pentagon said Thursday.

Germany requested to buy up to 600 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) missiles, the Pentagon said in a statement.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of the possible sale Thursday.

"The proposed sale will improve Germany’s capability to meet current and future threats and increase the defensive capabilities of its military," it said.

It said the sale will support Germany’s goal of improving national and territorial defense as well as interoperability with US and NATO forces.

The prime contractor will be Lockheed Martin in Dallas, Texas, it added.

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