US Approves Multimillion Air-to-Air Missile Sale to Indonesia and Malaysia



WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States has approved a proposed $47 million sale of air-to-air Sidewinder missiles and associated parts to Indonesia, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement.

“This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy objectives and national security interests of the United States by making Indonesia more capable of defeating threats to regional stability and strengthening its homeland defense,” DSCA said on Tuesday.

DSCA explained that the sale will reduce Indonesia’s reliance on the United States to intervene in Southeast Asia to maintain stability, while improving Indonesia’s interoperability with the United States.

The Sidewinder is one of the most widely utilized air-to-air combat missiles used by more than two dozen countries.

Also the United States has approved a proposed $21 million sale of Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) to Malaysia.

“This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a key partner which has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic progress in Southeast Asia,” DSCA said.

The AMRAAM is a guided missile capable of hitting targets out-of-sight of firing aircraft or ground-based launchers.

Malaysia currently uses the AMRAAM on its F/A-18D aircraft. The additional missiles will act as a deterrent to regional threats and increase interoperability with the United States, DSCA said.

AMRAAM is currently used by 36 countries on a number of aircraft, including the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

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