U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting with Oman officials this week to discuss a proposed $2.1 billion military sales agreement with Raytheon Co., according to a Bloomberg Businessweek article.
Indira A.R. Lakshmanan and Gopal Ratnam write the meeting focuses on the Persian Gulf country’s intent to purchase an aerial defense system for protecting infrastructure against unmanned vehicles.
The Oman government selected Raytheon over European contractors and company officials expect to sign the letter of intent during Kerry’s visit, according to two State Department officials.
Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson highlighted contracting opportunities in the Middle East during the company’s first-quarter earnings report last month.
“Our portfolio of international opportunities remains robust and includes Kuwait Patriot, the Oman ground-based air defense system, the Qatar air defense system, air traffic management, as well as radars and missiles, ” he said.
Lakshmanan and Ratnam report that the U.S. has supported Middle Eastern allies in their efforts to counter Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
