US foreign military sales exceeded $30 billion for the fourth consecutive year in Fiscal 2011, announced the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which oversees the Pentagon’s transfer of military equipment to allies and friends. In total, DSCA recorded $34.8 billion in total equipment sales last fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30. The bulk of that, or $28.3 billion, occurred under the government-to-government FMS program. The top three FMS customers were: Afghanistan ($5.4 billion), Taiwan ($4.9 billion), and India ($4.5 billion), according to the agency. Rounding out the top 10 were Australia ($3.9 billion), Saudi Arabia ($3.5 billion), Iraq ($2.0 billion), United Arab Emirates ($1.5 billion), Israel ($1.4 billion), Japan ($0.5 billion), and Sweden ($0.5 billion). DSCA forecasts that FMS sales will be around $30 billion in Fiscal 2012.
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.