The US State Department has approved the potential sale of 400 Tomahawk missiles and related equipment to Japan in a $2.35 billion deal, the Pentagon said on Friday, UNN reports citing Reuters.
Details
The announcement of the sale comes after US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed on Wednesday to open a presidential hotline, restore military-to-military communications, and work to limit fentanyl production, showing tangible progress in their first face-to-face talks of the year.
The package will include 400 Tomahawk missiles, 14 Tomahawk tactical weapons control systems, software, support equipment, spare parts and technical support, the Pentagon said.
The Defense Department's Office of Military Cooperation notified Congress of the possible sale on Friday.
Despite the approval of the US State Department, the notice did not indicate that a contract had been signed or that negotiations had been completed.
The Pentagon said Raytheon is the primary contractor for the weapons.
As a reminder,
Earlier it was reported that Japan plans to purchase Tomahawk missiles from the United States by March 2024.