WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Pentagon will award a $1.2-billion contract to Raytheon Technologies Co for six National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) for Ukraine, according to a person familiar with the situation and a document seen by Reuters.
The United States has approved sending Ukraine a total of eight NASAMS.
An announcement of the Army’s contract award was expected as soon as Tuesday, the person said.
Ukraine received its first delivery of two NASAMS air defense systems in November.
These six NASAMS systems were part of the fifth Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) package which was announces on August 24 and had a total value of $2.98 billion, according to a document seen by Reuters.
The contract is for the NASAMS batteries, training, and logistical support to Ukraine’s military and security forces.
Funds for the two other NASAMS came from the third USAI package announced in July.
Last week Doug Bush, the chief weapons buyer for the Army, told reporters the U.S. Army is accelerating its weapons acquisition process to speed through a backlog of contracts needed to replenish U.S. stocks of weapons depleted by arms shipments to Ukraine.
The Pentagon has said the newly U.S.-provided NASAMS air defense systems so far have had a 100% success rate in Ukraine intercepting Russian missiles.
(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Mark Porter and Nick Zieminski)
