Amidst Gulf crisis, US agrees to sell Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters to Bahrain

Washington, May 2: The United States of America on Tuesday approved the sale of 12 Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters at the cost of $911.4 million. Notably, Bahrain will use the helicopters as a deterrent to regional threats and strengthen its homeland defence.

 

The Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said that Bahrain has requested 12 Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters via the U.S. Foreign Military Sale process which has been approved. The DSCA estimated that the cost of the purchase is $911.4 million.

The package includes two spare GE T700 powerplants for the twin-engine helicopter, 14 AGM-14 Hellfire missiles, and 56 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS-II) guided rockets. The expense of the sale is also partly explained by an extensive equipment list, including 15 embedded Global Positioning/Inertial Navigation Systems (EGIs); 12 M197 20mm gun systems; 30 Tech Refresh mission computers; 14 AN/AAQ-30 target sight systems; 26 Top Owl helmet-mounted displays; 15 APX-117 IFF systems; 15 AN/AAR-47 missile warning systems; 15 AN/ALE-47 countermeasure dispenser sets; and 15 APR-39C(V)2 radar warning receivers.

The package also includes 12 joint mission planning systems, plus various training and support activities. The development comes after the economic and financial impact on Qatar put by Arab quartet including United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt led blockade is fading slowly.

In the month of June last year, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and several other nations cut ties with Qatar and imposed stringent economic sanctions on it over supporting extremism. On the other side, Qatar denied all their allegations saying that they never supported Islamist militants and Shi'ite Iran.

Later, Saudi and its allies issued a 13-point list of demands to end the rift on June 22 and gave Qatar 10 days to comply. However, earlier Qatar rejected to fulfill the demands. The controversial Qatar World Cup will take place Nov. 21-Dec. 18 in 2022. Interestingly, Pakistan has also purchased Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters from United States.