State Department approves $3.2B missile sale to Sweden

Feb. 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department on Wednesday said it has approved a possible foreign military sale to Sweden of Patriot Configuration-3 Modernized Fire Units.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the $3.2 billion sale, for which Raytheon and Lockheed Martin are the primary contractors.

The possible foreign military sale would provide Sweden with four Patriot Configuration-3+ Modernized Fire Units consisting of 100 Patriot MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced Missile-TBM missiles, 200 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement missiles, and other equipment and technology to aid in the firing process.

The deal also includes communications equipment and technical publications, along with training equipment. Use of the Patriot units will require approximately 24 U.S. Government and 32 contractors to provide personnel training and fielding of the weapon systems.

The U.S. government says the proposed foreign military sale "will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States" by aiding the defensive posture for international partners in the Baltic Sea regions and Europe.

The State Department assessed that the sale would not alter the basic military balance in the region.