WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. State Department has approved the possible sale of anti-tank Javelin missiles to the United Kingdom for an estimated $125 million, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
European demand for U.S. weaponry is soaring, but instead of big-ticket items like jets and tanks, shopping lists are focused on shoulder-fired missiles, artillery, and drones that have proven critical to Ukraine’s war efforts. This sale to the close U.S. ally may be the first to one of many as European nations looking to restock smaller weapons that were sent to Ukraine.
The potential sale package authorized by the State Department would include 600 Javelins technical assistance, and logistics support, the Pentagon said.
The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the possible sale on Tuesday.
Despite approval by the State Department, the notification does not indicate that a contract has been signed or that negotiations have concluded.
The prime contractors will be the Raytheon Technologies Corp and Lockheed Martin Corp who have a joint venture to product the tank-busting weapon, the Pentagon said.
(Reporting Rami Ayyub; writing by Paul Grant and Mike Stone; Editing by Doina Chiacu and David Gregorio)
