The United States plans to supply naval missile systems to Egypt, Turkey and other allies in the Middle East, according to a report by the Middle East Newsline (MENL) on Sunday.
The delivery is part of a $27 million weapons project between Washington and a range of US allies, said the report, adding that Egypt and Turkey will benefit from most of the US systems.
Under the deal, the Pentagon has awarded a contract to McDonnell Douglas Corp. for the procurement of eight Harpoon shipboard command and launch control systems.
McDonnell Douglas is a subsidiary of Boeing Co.
The Harpoon is an autonomous all-weather, anti-ship missile system with an over-the-horizon range of more than 67 nautical miles.
It can be launched from aircraft, surface ships, submarines and land-based installations.
The first guided Harpoon flew successfully in December 1972, according to Boeing’s website.
After more than 25 years, Harpoon is still deployed as the US Navy's premiere anti-ship missile for fleetwide use and has been ordered by 24 international customers.
High survivability and kill probability are assured by Harpoon's low-level cruise trajectory, active radar guidance, counter-countermeasures, and effective warhead design, says Boeing.
The command launch and control system can be a stand-alone system or integrated into an aircraft, ship or submarine fire control system.
Officials said both Egypt and Turkey will obtain four Harpoon systems.
The sale will be conducted under the US Foreign Military Sales Program, said MENL.
The announcement comes amidst Washington's loudly voiced concerns over Cairo's alleged efforts to develop an intermediate-range missile based on North Korea's No-Dong model – Albawaba.com
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