Continuing a trend of selling large amounts of weaponry to Saudi Arabia, the State Department has delivered certification informing Congress of their intention to sell a package of 2,000 laser-guided APKWS II missiles and assorted parts to the Saudis for an estimated cost of $100 million.
The missiles are made by BAE Systems, and cost roughly $22,000 each, which was described as a more “cost effective” solution for shooting down drones like the type used by the Houthis in neighboring Yemen.
The Saudis invaded Yemen in 2015, and a decade later the Houthis retain much of the north of the country. The Houthis have carried out hundreds of attacks against Saudi territory since, using both attack drones and ballistic missiles.
Since launching the Yemen war, the Saudis have dramatically increased their military spending, with large amounts going to buying US-made equipment. Their defense budget for 2025 is $78 billion, which is 7.1% of the oil-rich nation’s GDP. This is the fifth highest military budget in the world, ahead of the United Kingdom.
The APKWS II, which stands for “Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System,” is used to transform otherwise standard rockets into precision, laser-guided missiles. The APKWS II achieved operating capacity for the US in 2012, and was used substantially in both the Iraq and Afghan wars after that. It is generally fired from fixed-wing aircraft or certain attack helicopters, though there is also an ability to launch it from ground vehicles.
The US has exported to APKWS II kits to other nations in the past, including Ukraine, Britain and the Czech Republic. This will be the first time such precision weapons are sent to Saudi Arabia.
US exports to the Saudis have generally been in the form of more conventional missiles and bombs, which have killed many thousands of people in Yemen since 2015. Human rights concerns have led to pressure for the US to sell less offensive weaponry to Saudi Arabia, though last year the Biden Administration lifted a ban on such weapons, and the Trump Administration seems every bit as eager to sell the Saudis whatever they want for the ongoing conflict.
The State Department’s statement did not address human rights at all, but rather said the sales would “support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States.”
