Arms Sales Notification, 1460-1462 [2025-00142]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
• Office of the Secretary

[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 5 (Wednesday, January 8, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1460-1462]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-00142]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

[Transmittal No. 24-14]


Arms Sales Notification

AGENCY: Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Department of Defense 
(DoD).

ACTION: Arms sales notice.

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SUMMARY: The DoD is publishing the unclassified text of an arms sales 
notification.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pamela Young at (703) 953-6092, 
[email protected], or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 36(b)(1) arms sales notification is 
published to fulfill the requirements of section 155 of Public Law 104-
164 dated July 21, 1996. The following is a copy of a letter to the 
Speaker of the House of Representatives with attached Transmittal 24-
14, Policy Justification, and Sensitivity of Technology.

    Dated: January 2, 2025.
Aaron T. Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN08JA25.004

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Transmittal No. 24-14
Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to Section 
36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, as amended
    (i) Prospective Purchaser: Government of Italy
    (ii) Total Estimated Value:

Major Defense Equipment *...............  $ 74 million
Other...................................  $ 76 million
                                         -------------------------------
  TOTAL.................................  $150 million
 

    (iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or 
Services under Consideration for Purchase: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) 
case IT-D-AAG was below congressional notification threshold at $22.5 
million ($9.7 million in Major Defense Equipment (MDE)) and included 
twenty-four (24) Guided Bomb Unit (GBU)-53/B Small Diameter Bombs-
Increment II (SDB-II) All-Up-Rounds (AURs); and four (4) GBU-53/B SDB-
II Captive Carry Reliability Tests (CCRTs). The Government of Italy has 
requested the case be amended to include an additional one hundred 
twenty-five (125) GBU-53/B SDB-II AURs; and eight (8) GBU-53/B SDB-II 
CCRTs. This amendment will cause the case to exceed the MDE and total 
case value notification thresholds, and thus notification of the entire 
program is required.
    The Government of Italy has also requested a new FMS case that 
includes an additional twenty-four (24) GBU-53/B SDB-II AURs; and two 
(2) GBU-53/B SDB-II CCRTs.
    The above notification requirements are combined as follows:

Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
    One hundred seventy-three (173) GBU-53/B SDB-II AURs
    Fourteen (14) GBU-53/B, SDB-II CCRTs
Non-MDE:
    Also included are SDB-II Weapon Load Crew Trainers (WLCT) and 
Practical Explosive Ordnance Disposal Trainers (PEST); munitions 
support and support

[[Page 1462]]

equipment; unclassified software delivery and support; spare parts, 
consumables and accessories, and repair and return support; 
modifications and maintenance support; unclassified publications and 
technical documentation; studies and surveys; U.S. Government and 
contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and 
other related elements of logistics and program support.
    (iv) Military Department: Air Force (IT-D-AAG, IT-D-AAH)
    (v) Prior Related Cases, if any: None
    (vi) Sales Commission, Fee, etc., Paid, Offered, or Agreed to be 
Paid: None known at this time
    (vii) Sensitivity of Technology Contained in the Defense Article or 
Defense Services Proposed to be Sold: See Attached Annex
    (viii) Date Report Delivered to Congress: February 15, 2024
    * as defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act.

POLICY JUSTIFICATION

Italy--Small Diameter Bomb II

    The Government of Italy has requested to buy one hundred twenty-
five (125) Guided Bomb Unit (GBU)-53/B Small Diameter Bombs-Increment 
II (SDB-II) All-Up-Rounds (AURs); and eight (8) GBU-53/B SDB-II Captive 
Carry Reliability Tests (CCRTs) that will be added to a previously 
implemented case whose value was under the congressional notification 
threshold. The original FMS case, valued at $22.5 million ($9.7 million 
in MDE), included twenty-four (24) GBU-53/B SDB-II AURs; and four (4) 
GBU-53/B SDB-II CCRTs. The Government of Italy has also requested a new 
FMS case that includes twenty-four (24) GBU-53/B SDB-II AURs; and two 
(2) GBU-53/B SDB-II CCRTs. This notification is for a combined total of 
one hundred seventy-three (173) GBU-53/B SDB-II AURs; and fourteen (14) 
GBU-53/B SDB-II CCRTs. Also included are SDB-II Weapon Load Crew 
Trainers (WLCT) and Practical Explosive Ordnance Disposal Trainers 
(PEST); munitions support and support equipment; unclassified software 
delivery and support; spare parts, consumables and accessories, and 
repair and return support; modifications and maintenance support; 
unclassified publications and technical documentation; studies and 
surveys; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and 
logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and 
program support. The estimated total cost is $150 million.
    This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and 
national security objectives of the United States by improving the 
security of a NATO Ally that is a force for political stability and 
economic progress in Europe.
    The proposed sale will improve Italy's capability to meet current 
and future threats by improving the Italian Air Force and Navy's F-35 
weapons capabilities. It will also advance United States 
interoperability with NATO and the Italian Armed Forces. Italy already 
has the SDB-II in its inventory and will have no difficulty absorbing 
this equipment into its armed forces.
    The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the 
basic military balance in the region.
    The principal contractor will be RTX Corporation, Arlington, VA. 
There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this 
potential sale.
    Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the 
assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor 
representatives to Italy.
    There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a 
result of this proposed sale.
Transmittal No. 24-14
Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to Section 
36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act
Annex
Item No. vii
    (vii) Sensitivity of Technology:
    1. The GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb--Increment II (SDB-II) is a 
250-pound class precision-guided, semiautonomous, conventional, air-to-
ground munition used to defeat moving targets from standoff range. The 
SDB-II has deployable wings and fins and uses Global Positioning 
System/Inertial Navigation System (GPS/INS) guidance, network-enabled 
datalink (Link-16 and ultra-high frequency (UHF)), and a multi-mode 
seeker (millimeter wave radar, imaging infrared, semi-active laser) to 
autonomously search, acquire, track, and defeat a variety of moving or 
stationary targets, at standoff range or close in, in a variety of 
attack modes, in clear or adverse weather. The SDB-II employs a multi-
effects warhead (blast, fragmentation, and shaped-charge) for maximum 
lethality against armored and soft targets. The SDB-II weapon system 
consists of the tactical All-Up-Round (AUR) weapon, a 4-place common 
carriage system, and Mission Planning System Munitions Application 
Program (MAP).
    a. The SDB-II Captive Carry Reliability Test vehicles are an inert 
SDB-II configuration used for any purpose where an inert round without 
telemetry or termination capability would be useful, but primarily for 
reliability data collection during carriage.
    b. The SDB-II Weapon Load Crew Trainer (WLCT) is a mass mockup of 
the tactical AUR used for load crew and maintenance training. It does 
not contain energetics, a live fuze, any sensitive components, or 
hazardous material. It is not flight certified.
    c. The SDB-II Practical Explosive Ordnance Disposal Trainer (PEST) 
is an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) training unit with sections and 
internal subassemblies which are identical to, or correlate to, the 
external hardware, sections and internal subassemblies of the tactical 
AUR. The PEST does not contain energetics, a live fuze, any sensitive 
components, or hazardous material. It is not flight certified.
    2. The highest level of classification of defense articles, 
components, and services included in this potential sale is SECRET.
    3. If a technologically advanced adversary were to obtain knowledge 
of the specific hardware and software elements, the information could 
be used to develop countermeasures that might reduce weapon system 
effectiveness or be used in the development of a system with similar or 
advanced capabilities.
    4. A determination has been made that Italy can provide 
substantially the same degree of protection for the sensitive 
technology being released as the U.S. Government. This sale is 
necessary in furtherance of the U.S. foreign policy and national 
security objectives outlined in the Policy Justification.
    5. All defense articles and services listed in this transmittal 
have been authorized for release and export to Italy.

[FR Doc. 2025-00142 Filed 1-7-25; 8:45 am]
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