Washington approves sale of stealthy cruise missiles to Netherlands
The U.S. State Department approved the sale of $908 million of stealthy air-launched standoff cruise missiles to the Netherlands, the Pentagon’s top arms broker announced.
The larger deal would involve the sale of 120 Lockheed Martin AGM-158B/B-2 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles with Extended Range through the Foreign Military Sales program, according to a Feb. 5 announcement by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
That sale would include KGV-135A encryption devices, test and integration equipment, spare parts, classified and unclassified publications, technical documentation and related equipment.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO Ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe,” the agency added.
The AGM-158B JASSM-ER can deliver a 1,000-pound warhead up to 575 miles away, while the longer-range AGM-158B-2 has a warhead weighing 2,000 pounds with a range of 1,200 miles.