The Defense Department has notified Congress of a potential foreign military sale of the Boeing-built Small Diameter Bomb to the Netherlands. According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s release, the Dutch are interested in procuring 603 SDB Increment I systems and associated equipment, training, and logistics support for an estimated cost of $44 million. The SDB I is a 250-pound-class, precision-guided munition that has been in operational with the US Air Force since October 2006. There are already three international customers, including Israel and Italy.
The U.K. and the U.S. will continue to enjoy access to the ports, airfield, and workshops at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for at least another century, under a deal inked between the U.K. and Mauritius May 22.