Photo Credit: Amos Ben Gershom / GPO
IDF Apache helicopter (file)

The U.S. State Department has given a green light to the sale of Apache helicopters, Hellfire missiles, tank ammunition and military equipment to Egypt.

The $1.2 billion sale, announced Tuesday, includes 10 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, a large quantity of tank ammunition, targeting systems, Hellfire missiles, night vision goggles, radar and other combat equipment.

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Also included is the sale of tank ammunition — about 60,000 rounds of 120mm training and discarding-sabot armor piercing rounds — for $201 million. According to UPI, spare parts, training materials and maintenance services are included.

The 120mm round is used by the L/44 M256A1 smoothbore gun on the M1A1 and M1A2 series of Abrams main battles tanks. Egypt — which uses the Abrams in maneuvers in the Sinai Peninsula — has more than 1,000 active or stockpiled Abrams tanks, financed by U.S. military aid.

The new Apache is armored and carries a 30mm chaingun along with a variety of rockets and guided missiles. It’s the primary attack helicopter used by the Israeli Air Force and the U.S. Armed Forces.


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Hana Levi Julian is a Middle East news analyst with a degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Southern Connecticut State University. A past columnist with The Jewish Press and senior editor at Arutz 7, Ms. Julian has written for Babble.com, Chabad.org and other media outlets, in addition to her years working in broadcast journalism.