Washington, Jan. 31 -- The United States has approved the potential sale of Patriot air defense missiles to Saudi Arabia, valued at approximately USD 9 billion.

The announcement was made by the US State Department through notifications from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) and statements from the Pentagon.

Saudi Arabia, a US ally and designated Major Non-NATO partner, requested the purchase of 730 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE) interceptors.

"The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of PATRIOT Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement Missiles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $9.0 billi...