iscover
The US State Department has approved the multibillion-dollar sale of the weapons system to Canada.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has rubber-stamped the sale of four shipsets of the Aegis Combat System (ACS), built by Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, for approximately US$1.7 billion ($2.1 billion).
The sale also includes an Aegis Combat System computer program, four shipsets of AN/SPY-7 Solid State Radar Components, four shipsets of Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC), and three shipsets of the MK 41 Vertical Launch System.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to improve the military capability of Canada, a NATO ally that is an important force for ensuring political stability and economic progress, and a contributor to military, peacekeeping and humanitarian operations around the world,” DSCA noted in a statement.
“This proposed sale will increase Canadian maritime forces’ interoperability with the United States and other allied forces, as well as their ability to contribute to missions of mutual interest by delivering the first AEGIS-capable Canadian Surface Combatant.
“This will significantly improve network-centric warfare capability for the US forces operating globally alongside Canada.”
The Aegis combat system uses computer and radar technology to track and guide weapons systems.
The platform is designed to enable users to rapidly integrate new capabilities across naval fleets in a “build once, use many times” framework.
Aegis can be used across a variety of both ship classes and land-based systems.
[Related: DSCA approves sale of SATCOM system to NATO]
Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?
Make Defence Connect a preferred news source on Google.
Click here to add Defence Connect as a preferred news source.