The United States agrees to sell Egypt the advanced Stinger missiles in a deal worth $740 million

The US State Department has approved a possible sale of 720 Stinger missiles to Egypt for $740 million, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.

The missiles are in high demand in Ukraine because they can deter Russian attacks from the air, and also in neighboring European countries that fear they may need to repel Russian forces.

Egypt will mount Stinger missiles on vehicles equipped with the Avenger launch system rather than shoulder-mounted launchers.

The prime contractor will be RTX, the Defense Department said.

This summer, several NATO member states placed orders for Stinger missiles worth about $700 million.

This order extended the backlog of orders in production lines until 2029 as Egypt increases overall demand.