U.S, Oman To Sign Arms Deal Worth $2.1 Billion

The U.S and Oman today signed a defense deal worth $2.1 billion during U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s official visit to the Arab country

One of the main purposes of visit is the Oman is expected to sign a letter of intent to purchase a ground-based air defense system that would help protect against cruise missile or drone attacks, officials said.

“In January the Omanis made a decision to buy a ground-based air defense system produced by Raytheon, something that the secretary advocated for when he was in the Senate,” a senior U.S State Department official said, AFP reported.

U.S officials said the terms were still being negotiated and the final value of the sale is yet to be finalized, adding that it was not clear whether Kerry would attend the signing as expected.

This deal would upgrade the country’s ability to defend its critical infrastructure from unmanned-aerial vehicles and cruise missiles, the official added further.

 “Oman has also recently brought a second tranche of F-16s so this is a way of continuing our relationship in the defense arena and will have pluses in terms of interoperability,” official added.