US considers major arms sales to Egypt

WASHINGTON - The United States is considering a $57 million sale of air-to-ground missiles to Egypt, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said Wednesday.

The DSCA said in a statement the US State Department notified Congress on Tuesday of a possible sale to Egypt of AGM-114K/R3 Hellfire II Missiles and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $57 million.

"This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country that has been and continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East," said the statement.

The statement said Egypt would use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense. While this potential sale would be the first transfer of the R variant of this missile to Egypt, Egypt already has the F and K variants in its inventory and will have no difficulty absorbing these additional missiles.

It was the second big arms deal this week after the State Department notified Congress on Monday of a potential $952 million arms sale of helicopters and missiles to Pakistan.