The US State Department has approved the sale of over 1,500 AGM-114R2 Hellfire missiles to France and up to 250 AMRAAMs to Sweden.
The estimated $203 million sale to France includes technical assistance, integration support, and other related logistical and program support elements.
“The proposed sale will improve France’s capability to meet current and future threats by building its long-term defense capacity to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity in order to meet its national defense requirements,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency stated.
AMRAAMs for Sweden
Meanwhile, the State Department also approved the sale of up to 250 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) to Sweden.
The estimated $605 million sale includes up to six AMRAAM C-8 guidance sections, spare AIM-120 control sections and containers, and support equipment.
“The proposed sale will improve Sweden’s capability to meet and deter current and future threats in the region by ensuring Sweden has modern, capable air-to-air munitions,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said.
Hellfire Missiles
The Lockheed Martin anti-tank Hellfire missile was originally developed in the 1970s to arm attack helicopters. However, it has been integrated with other platforms, such as drones, ground and sea vessels, and land-based sites over time.
Inducted in 2012, the 114R uses a two-charge warhead to penetrate a tank’s explosive reactive armor.
The 49-kilogram (108 pounds) missile can strike a target from a distance of 8 kilometers (5 miles).
AMRAAM Missiles
Manufactured by Raytheon Missiles & Defense, the AMRAAM “is the world’s most sophisticated, combat-proven air dominance weapon,” the company states on its website.
The weapon has a range of more than 20 miles (32 kilometers) and incorporates its active radar with a micro-computer system and inertial reference unit, making it less dependent upon the aircraft’s fire-control system.