The U.S. government has approved the sale of up to nine Boeing Co P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol planes to Britain in a deal valued at up to US$3.2 billion (2.3 billion pounds), the U.S. Defense Department said Friday.
A U.S. Navy Boeing Poseidon P8 sits on display at the Singapore Airshow February 11, 2014. REUTERS/Edgar Su
WASHINGTON: The U.S. government has approved the sale of up
to nine Boeing Co P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol planes to Britain in a
deal valued at up to US$3.2 billion (2.3 billion pounds), the U.S.
Defense Department said Friday.
The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA),
which oversees foreign arms sales, notified Congress about the potential
sale on Thursday. Lawmakers now have 15 days to block the sale although
such action is unlikely given close ties between the United States and
the UK.
The proposed sale will enhance Britain's capabilities to
provide national defense and contribute to NATO and coalition
operations, DSCA said in a statement. It said the deal was a top
priority for Britain.
Britain announced its intention to buy the submarine-hunting
patrol planes in November as part of a five-year plan that will
increase spending by 12 billion pounds (US$16.96 billion) to 178 billion
pounds (US$251.60 billion) over the next decade.
At the time, British Prime Minister David Cameron said the
planes would help the UK protect its nuclear deterrent and fill a gap
left by a much-criticised decision to scrap the Nimrod spy-plane program
in 2010.
DSCA said Britain had retained core skills in maritime patrol and
reconnaissance following the retirement of the Nimrod aircraft through
personnel exchange programs that have left UK forces work on the U.S.
Navy P-8A aircraft.
Additional contractors on the deal include ViaSat Inc ,
Rockwell Collins Inc , Spirit Aerosystems Holdings Inc , Raytheon Co ,
Northrop Grumman Corp and Harris Corp and General Electric Co , the
agency said.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Bernard Orr)
- Reuters
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