MOSCOW, (Sputnik) – The US State Department has approved a possible sale of advanced AIM-120D-3 and AIM-120C-8 air-to-air missiles and related equipment to Japan for $3.64 billion, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said.
«The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Japan of AIM-120D-3 and AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $3.64 billion,» the agency said in a statement on Thursday.
Japan has requested the purchase of 1,200 AIM-120 missiles, the statement noted.
25 December 2024, 06:40 GMT
By 2027, Japan plans to increase its total defense spending from 2023 to 43 trillion yen (about $273 billion). Thus, the defense budget is expected to increase every fiscal year. However, the Japanese government has yet to decide on the source of defense funding, as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has advocated raising corporate taxes, an initiative that has many opponents even within Ishiba’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
