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.
The Air Force’s Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile is behind schedule and may significantly overrun its expected cost, which could partially explain why the service is reviving the hypersonic AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid-Response Weapon.