WASHINGTON, United States
The United States government has approved the sale of 600 Patriot air defense missiles to Germany, the Pentagon announced on Thursday night.
The deal would cost an
estimated $5 billion (€4.6 billion).
"This proposed sale will
support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by
improving the security of a NATO
ally that is an important force for political and economic stability
in Europe," the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a
statement.
"It will support
Germany's goal of improving national and territorial defense as well as
interoperability with US and NATO forces."
The State Department has
approved the sale, although Congress must still sign off on the deal.
The Patriot air defense system
can be used to combat enemy aircraft and missiles up to 100 kilometers (60
miles) away at an altitude of 30 kilometers (19 miles) high.
Germany had as many as 36 of
the systems during the Cold War, but this number has diminished in subsequent
years.
Berlin donated
three systems to Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion in
February 2022.
Now Germany's defense forces
are down to just nine Patriot systems.
Other European countries
including Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain and Sweden also have
Patriot systems.
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