US approves possible sale of Patriot missiles to Turkey

Washington has approved a possible foreign military sale of the Patriot air and missile defense system to Ankara for an estimated total of $3.5 billion, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the department approved the sale of 80 Patriot MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced Missiles (GEM-T) missiles, 60 PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) missiles and associated equipment.

The agency notified Congress of the possible sale.

The sale includes radar sets, engagement control stations, launching stations, communications equipment, tools and test equipment, range and test programs and support equipment.

"The proposed sale will increase the defensive capabilities of the Turkey military to guard against hostile aggression and shield NATO Allies who might train and operate within Turkey's borders. Turkey should have no difficulty absorbing this system into its armed forces," said the agency

Turkey had been trying to purchase the air defense system from the US, but the missiles have never been sold to Turkey when they were needed the most.

The move comes after Turkey signed a contract with Russia to buy the S-400 air defense system in 2017. Installation of the S-400 system in Turkey is expected to begin in October 2019.

Based on AA