The US State Department has greenlighted a potential $3.64 billion sale of Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) to Japan.
Tokyo has requested 1,200 AIM-120D-3 and AIM-120C-8 AMRAAMs.
Apart from the missiles, up to 20 AIM-120D-3 guidance sections with precise positioning provided by either Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module or M-Code and up to four AIM-120C-8 guidance sections are included.
The deal also covers related equipment, such as AMRAAM propulsion sections, warheads, AIM-120 captive air training missiles, missile containers, and control section spares.
Japan also requested common munitions, built-in test reprogramming equipment, ADU-891 adaptor group test sets, spare and repair parts, accessories, as well as logistics and support.
RTX will be the principal contractor.
Late last month, the Japanese government allocated an 8.7-trillion-yen ($55.1-billion) defense budget for the next fiscal year for improved defenses against threats, including those posed by China.
The East Asian country’s cabinet has also recently approved the purchase of six V-BAT drones to enhance surveillance and intelligence-gathering capabilities.