The US State Department has authorized the sale of 180 AIM–120C-7 AMRAAM anti-aircraft missiles to Hungary.
According to Rmx.news, the state department has already notified Congress of its decision and the sale will soon go ahead.
Originally developed as airborne weapons, the AMRAAM missiles have now also been adopted to be fired from the ground as part of an air defense system, launched by the NASAMS system jointly developed by the United States and Norway. The total value of the deal is worth US$500 million (EUR 451 million).
The system is designed to be spread over a wider area, offering both greater coverage and survivability of the weapons. These ground-launched systems are also best deployed networked and capable of taking guidance from remote radars.
Hungary already uses these type of missiles as they are the main armament of its JAS 39 Gripen fighters made by Swedish aerospace company Saab. The targeting and guidance radars will be purchased in a separate deal from the manufacturer of the missiles, US defense contractor Raytheon is not included in the US$500 million deal.
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