Jane Edwards
Jim Thomson, General Atomics’ regional vice president of international strategic development in the Middle East, North Africa and the Americas, has said the company has started to advise potential clients in the Middle East and other regions to begin purchase requests for drones they intend to buy from the U.S. government, Defense News reported Friday.
Thomson said at the Special Operations Exposition in Jordan that the request process for unmanned aircraft systems should start as the Trump administration drafts a new policy that aims to ease restrictions on foreign military sales of UAS and allow a company and a foreign country to negotiate a direct commercial sales agreement.
He noted that the U.S. government will still evaluate on a case-by-case basis each potential FMS deal for drones that he believes is likely to be approved.
Thompson added that General Atomics has clearance to supply manned-unmanned teaming capability to countries in the Middle East through FMS agreements.
