Kuwait to Buy 28 F-18 Warplanes
Kuwait will buy 28 Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets to replace a fleet of earlier versions of the U.S. fighter jets, a top official said Monday.
The value of the deal is not expected to exceed $5 billion, the KUNA state news agency reported the head of armament and procurement at Kuwait's defense ministry as saying.
Major General Lafi al-Azemi said the deal stipulates the supplier will re-purchase the old Hornet fighter jets from Kuwait.
The U.S. State Department this month said it has authorized the deal, as well as the sale of 72 F-15 Strike Eagle jets to Kuwait's Gulf neighbor Qatar at an estimated value of $21 billion.
In April, Kuwait signed a contract with Italy's Finmeccanica for the purchase of 28 Eurofighter Typhoon warplanes for under eight billion euros ($8.5 billion).
Kuwait's parliament in March approved spending an additional $500 million as an advance payment for the jets.
That funding came on top of $10 billion additional defense spending already approved by parliament in January to upgrade the country's military.
The emirate is a member of the U.S.-led coalition bombing Islamic State group targets in Syria and Iraq, and is also taking part in a Saudi-led coalition pounding Iran-backed rebels in Yemen.
Last year, it bought 24 Caracal military tactical transport helicopters and French light armored vehicles.
Source: Agence France Presse
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