Just a week after Saudi Arabian military aircraft participated in the opening waves of airstrikes on ISIS targets in Syria, the US has approved a proposed $1.75 billion sale of modernized Patriot air defense missiles and support equipment to Saudi Arabia. The sale, announced by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, encompasses 202 Patriot Advanced PAC-3 missiles, as well as test targets, fire control computers, launch station modification kits, logistics system kits, and other components. According to the DSCA announcement, the sale will help replenish the Saudis current Patriot stocks that are facing obsolescence “due to age and the limited availability of repair parts.” The Saudis are the latest US ally in the Gulf to either modernize their air defense arsenals or upgrade existing stocks. Qatar signed a deal in July that included the sale of modernized Patriot batteries as well.
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.
