[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 158 (Tuesday, September 14, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6489-S6490]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control 
Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain 
proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, 
the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be 
reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the 
notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the 
Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
  In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant 
information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to 
have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. 
If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is 
available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations 
Committee, room SD-423.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                                  Defense Security


                                           Cooperation Agency,

                                                    Arlington, VA.
     Hon. Robert Menendez,
     Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations,
     U.S. Senate, Washington, DC
       Dear Mr. Chairman: Pursuant to the reporting requirements 
     of Section 36(b)(5)(C) of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), 
     as

[[Page S6490]]

     amended, we are forwarding Transmittal No. 21-0J. This 
     notification relates to enhancements or upgrades from the 
     level of sensitivity of technology or capability described in 
     the Section 36(b)(l) AECA certification 13-40 of June 27, 
     2013.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Heidi H. Grant,
                                                         Director.
       Enclosures.


                         Transmittal No. 21-0J

     Report of Enhancement or Upgrade of Sensitivity of Technology 
         or Capability (Sec. 36(B)(5)(C)), (AECA)
       (i) Purchaser: Government of France.
       (ii) Sec. 36(b)(1), AECA Transmittal No.: 13-40; Date: June 
     27, 2013; Military Department: Air Force.
       (iii) Description: On June 27, 2013, Congress was notified 
     by Congressional certification transmittal number 13-40 of 
     the possible sale, under Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export 
     Control Act, of sixteen (16) MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted 
     Aircraft; eight (8) Mobile Ground Control Stations; forty-
     eight (48) Honeywell TPE331-10T Turboprop Engines (16 
     installed and 32 Spares); twenty-four (24) Satellite Earth 
     Terminal Substations; forty (40) Ku Band Link-Airborne 
     Communication Systems; forty (40) General Atomics Lynx 
     (exportable) Synthetic Aperture Radar/Ground Moving Target 
     Indicator (SAR/GMTI) Systems; forty (40) AN/DAS-1 Multi-
     Spectral Targeting System (MTS)-B; forty (40) Ground Data 
     Terminals; forty (40) ARC-210 Radio Systems; forty (40) 
     Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation 
     Systems; and forty-eight (48) AN/APX-119 and KIV-119 Identify 
     Friend or Foe (IFF) Systems. Also included were spare and 
     repair parts; communication, test, and support equipment; 
     publications and technical documentation; airworthiness and 
     maintenance support; site surveys and bed down planning; 
     personnel training and training equipment; operational flight 
     test; U.S. Government and contractor technical and logistics 
     personnel services; and other related elements of logistics 
     support. The estimated cost was $1.5 billion. Major Defense 
     Equipment (MDE) constituted $765 million of this total.
       On July 26, 2018, Congress was notified by Congressional 
     certification transmittal number 18-0B of the retrofit of MQ-
     9s to become weapons capable, and the inclusion of one 
     hundred (100) GBU-49 Enhanced Paveway dual mode GPS and laser 
     guided bomb kits comprised of MXU-650 Air Foil Group (AFG) 
     and MAU-210 Enhanced Computer Control Group (ECCG); two 
     hundred (200) FMU-152 fuzes; six hundred fifty (650) AGM-114R 
     Hellfire missiles, with active warheads; forty-five (45) AGM-
     114R Hellfire training missiles, without active warheads; and 
     six (6) Hellfire Captive Air Training Missiles. The retrofit 
     and inclusion of MDE not enumerated in the original 
     notification resulted in the total notified cost of MDE 
     increasing to $975 million. The total notified case value 
     increased to $1.71 billion.
       On November 22, 2019, Congress was notified by 
     Congressional certification transmittal number 19-0P of the 
     retrofit of four (4) MQ-9A Block 1 to exportable MQ-9A Block 
     5; the addition of four (4) MQ-9A Block 5; and the addition 
     of fourteen (14) Embedded GPS/INS (EGI) with GPS Security 
     Devices. The retrofit and inclusion of MDE not enumerated in 
     the original notification resulted in the total notified cost 
     of MDE increasing to $1.055 billion. The total notified case 
     value remained $1.71 billion.
       This transmittal reports the addition of up to five (5) 
     Mobile Ground Control Stations (MDE). Also included are 
     additional ARC-210 Radios Systems (non-MDE). The inclusion of 
     MDE not enumerated in the original notification will result 
     in the total notified cost of MDE increasing to $1.0875 
     billion. The total notified case value will remain at $1.71 
     billion.
       (iv) Significance: This notification is being provided to 
     report the inclusion of MDE and non-MDE articles and services 
     not previously notified. Their inclusion represents an 
     increase in capability over what was originally notified. The 
     proposed articles and services will provide France's MQ-9 
     program with the equipment necessary to support capabilities 
     that France is already employing.
       (v) Justification: This proposed sale will support the 
     foreign policy and national security of the United States by 
     helping to improve the security of a NATO ally which is an 
     important force for political stability and economic progress 
     in Europe.
       (vi) Sensitivity of Technology: The MQ-9A Mobile Ground 
     Control Station (MGCS) enables a pilot to operate, in real-
     time, a long-endurance, medium altitude Remotely Piloted 
     Aircraft (RPA) that can be used for surveillance, military 
     reconnaissance, and targeting missions. A data link is 
     maintained that uplink commands and downlink video with 
     telemetry data. The data link can be a Line-of-Sight (LOS) C-
     Band communication or Beyond Line-of-Sight (BLOS) Ku-Band 
     Satellite Communication (SATCOM). Aircraft can be handed off 
     to other strategically placed ground control stations.
       The highest level of classification of defense articles, 
     components, and services included in this potential sale is 
     UNCLASSIFIED.
       (vii) Date Report Delivered to Congress: August 4, 2021

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