* The U.S. is under pressure to expand weapons sales to the Middle East amid record high regional defense spending and encroaching foreign competition.
* Lt. Gen. Charles Hooper, director of the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency, this week emphasized changes underway to U.S. policy that has thus far prevented armed drone sales to Washington's Arab allies.
* Systems that Gulf countries have wanted include the deadly MQ-9 Reaper, produced by General Atomics, a hunter-killer drone that can carry up to four hellfire missiles as well as laser-guided bombs and joint direct attack munitions (JDAMs).
ABU DHABI — As one U.S. official at Abu Dhabi's international defense expo, IDEX, put it this week, "China has been selling the hell out of its drones" to Gulf militaries like those of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia.
The U.S., while a top security partner to these states, currently does not supply them with its armed drone technology due to strict export regulations. But in the face of record Middle East defense spending and encroaching foreign competition, it's under renewed pressure to do just that.
Lt. Gen. Charles Hooper, director of the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), emphasized changes underway to the Conventional Arms Transfer (CAT) policy, which has thus far prevented the sale of armed drones to Washington's Arab allies.
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WNU Editor: Here is an easy prediction. U.S. export restrictions on military drones being sold to U.S. allies in the Middle East will be lifted very soon.
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