The US State Department approved the sale of an anti-drone system to Qatar for $1 billion.

The US government announced on 29 November that it had approved the $1 billion sale of FS-LIDS anti-drone systems and other equipment to Qatar.

“The proposed sale will increase Qatar’s ability to meet current and future threats by providing electronic and kinetic destruction capabilities against Unmanned Aircraft Systems” the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement. The total estimated cost of the program is 1 billion. This proposed sale helps increase the security of a friendly country, helping to improve the foreign policy and national security of the United States.

The announcement for the sale of the systems comes amid repeated drone strikes claimed by Tehran-backed Houthi rebels in different parts of the Gulf region and further accentuated by the threat posed by drone strikes on cities in the Russia-Ukraine war. The State Department approved the possible sale, and on 29 November the DSCA made the necessary notification to Congress, which must approve the transaction.