US to sell 34 surveillance drones to allies in South China Sea region
July 13
The Trump administration has moved ahead with asurveillancedrone sale to four USallies in theSouthChinaSearegion as acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Washington will no longer "tiptoe" around Chinese behaviour in Asia.
Thedroneswould afford greater intelligence gathering capabilities potentially curbing Chinese activity in the region.
Shanahan did not directly nameChinawhen making accusations of "actors" destabilising the region in a speech at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday but went on to say the United States would not ignore Chinese behaviour.
The Pentagon had announced on Friday it wouldsell34ScanEagledrones, made by Boeing Co. to the governments of Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam for a total of $47 million.
Chinaclaims almost all of the strategicSouthChinaSeaand frequently lambastes the United States and its allies over naval operations near Chinese occupied islands. Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have competing claims.
The Pentagon had said on Friday's sales included spare and repair parts, support equipment, tools, training and technical services and work on the equipment was expected to be completed by March 2022.
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As many as 12 unarmeddronesand equipment would go to Malaysia for about $19 million. Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country would buy eightdrones, the Philippines eight, and Vietnam six.
In 2018, USPresident Donald Trump's administration rolled out a long-awaited overhaul of US arms export policy aimed at expanding sales to allies, saying it would bolster the American defence industry and create jobs at home.
That initiative eased rules for exporting some types of lethal as well as non-lethal US madedronesto potentially dozens more allies and partners.
There is no armed version of the ScanEagle, but Insitu, the division of Boeing that makes the drone, also makes the RQ-21A Blackjack which is an optionally armed droneused by USNavy and Marine Corps.