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US approves up to $1.96B sale of BAE Systems APKWS II guidance sections to Saudi Arabia

The U.S. State Department has approved a possible $1.96 billion sale of up to 20,000 BAE Systems Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) II guidance sections to Saudi Arabia. The package includes 10,000 air-to-air and 10,000 air-to-ground guidance kits and is intended to strengthen Riyadh’s ability to counter Iranian drones.

Discovered 2026-07-16T04:28:55.737526-07:00 | 2026-07-16T04:28:55.737526-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

The approved package—up to $1.96 billion for 20,000 APKWS II guidance sections—signals continued U.S. support for Saudi Arabia’s counter-UAS and precision-strike capabilities in the region.
The mix of 10,000 air-to-air and 10,000 air-to-ground kits highlights how Riyadh plans to broaden guided-rocket employment across multiple target sets.
Awarding BAE Systems as principal contractor links near-term procurement to a major defense OEM’s programmable guidance output and delivery commitments under a large export authorization.

Reported By

FlightGlobal defence-blog.com Aviation Week