State Dept. approves $140M Sea Sparrow missile sale to Chile

The U.S. State Department has approved a proposed $140 million foreign military sale of Evolved Seasparrow Missiles to Chile.

The proposed sale entails equipment, training and support and was delivered to Congress on July 1, a Defense Security Cooperation Agency announcement released Tuesday states.

Chile has requested 33 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles, six Evolved Sea Sparrow Telemetry Missiles and three MK 41 Vertical Launching Systems.

In addition, the request includes 10 MK25 Quad Pack Canisters, five Sea Sparrow shipping containers, five MK-73 Continuous Wave Illumination Transmitters, one Inertial Missile Initializer Power Supply, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, publications and technical documentation, personnel training, U.S. government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services, technical assistance, installation and integration oversight support, logistics, program management, technical assistance, installation and integration.

The sale would upgrade air defenses for Chile's type 23 frigates, the agency said, and would allow the Chilean navy to deter regional threats.

Raytheon Missile Systems and BAE Systems would be the prime contractors.

The Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile is an international cooperative upgrade of the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow Missile. It provides self-defense and firepower against high-speed anti-ship missiles.