Full funding for the procurement was released when the contract was signed. Further details of the agreement remain classified.
In October 2022, the U.S. State Department approved Kuwait’s request for a possible NASAMS procurement. The proposed package included seven AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar stations, an undisclosed number of launchers and fire control stations, and a limited weapons package.
That weapons package included 63 AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles, 63 AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM missiles and 63 AMRAAM-ER missiles. NASAMS is designed to provide air defence against a range of aerial threats using networked sensors, launchers and command elements.
In the Middle East, NASAMS missile systems are currently operated by Oman and Qatar. Kuwait is one of the United States’ key allies in the region.
Kuwait’s air defence is currently based mainly on Patriot missile systems. The NASAMS acquisition is expected to complement those systems by adding a shorter-range layer of air defence capability.
