WASHINGTON - The U.S. State Department announced on October 13 it had approved a possible sale of support services to Kuwait, for the country's C-17 transport aircraft.
Kuwait requested three years of follow-on support for two C-17s, with an option for an additional two years of support. The support includes participation in the Globemaster III Integrated Sustainment Program as well as other services and technical support.
According to the State Department, the potential sale carries a value of $342.6 million. The State Department provided a notification to the Congress of the possible sale on Thursday.
The press release accompanying the announcement noted, "This proposed sale is required to maintain the operational readiness of the Kuwaiti Air Force C-17 aircraft. Kuwait’s current FMS contract supporting its C-17’s will expire in September of 2017. Kuwait will have no difficulty absorbing this support."
The announcement of the sale's approval does not mean that it has been concluded.
If completed, the prime contractor will be Boeing Company. As the press release noted, Kuwait "typically requests offsets. Any offset agreement will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor."