US reinterprets arms control pact to ease military drone exports

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(Reuters) -The United States can export “Reaper”-style and other advanced military drones more easily following a reinterpretation of its export control policies approved by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department announced on Monday.

Drones will now be treated like fighter jets, such as the F-16, rather than missile systems, allowing the U.S. to sidestep the 35-nation Missile Technology Control Regime agreement it signed in 1987 and enabling drone sales to countries like the UAE and Eastern European nations that have struggled to acquire America’s best unmanned aerial vehicles.

More immediately, the change unlocks the sale of more than 100 MQ-9 drones to Saudi Arabia, which the kingdom requested in the spring of this year and could be part of a $142 billion arms deal announced in May. U.S. allies in the Pacific and Europe have also expressed interest.

The new policy lets large drone manufacturers General Atomics, Kratos, and Anduril have their products treated as “foreign military sales” by the State Department, allowing them to be easily sold internationally.

The MTCR agreement was signed to curb long-range missile sales, and military drones that proliferated years later were considered to be covered by the agreement because they can fly far and carry weapons.

U.S. drone manufacturers are facing stiff competition overseas, especially from Israeli, Chinese and Turkish rivals who often sell under lighter or no restrictions.

(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Writing by Dan Catchpole in Seattle; Editing by Chris Reese)