US approves $364 million APKWS munitions sale to Italy

The US government has approved a possible sale of 5,031 Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS) units to Italy, according to the US Department of State. The deal is valued at approximately $364 million.

The package centers on APKWS-II guidance sections, which can be fitted to unguided Hydra 70 rockets to produce a low-cost precision-guided munition. It also includes LAU-131 launchers that allow the weapon to be mounted on fixed-wing aircraft, along with warheads, rocket motors, proximity fuses and other associated equipment.

APKWS is manufactured by BAE Systems and has become a widely used option for fixed-wing jets tasked with countering low-cost drones and other small unmanned aircraft.

The State Department said the sale would strengthen Italy's homeland defence and act as a deterrent against regional threats. It added that the capability would help protect Italy and allied ground forces, while improving Italy's contribution to NATO's integrated air and missile defence system.

In a separate announcement, the department said it had cleared a possible sale to South Korea of 103 AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II air-to-air missiles, produced by Raytheon, valued at around $125 million.

Both sales require congressional notification before they can proceed, a standard step in US foreign military sales processes. Neither transaction has yet been finalized.