$HALB – Pentagon Has $327 Billion Export Backlog, Sees Drone Demand

 By Gopal Ratnam - Jun 10, 2011 3:54 PM CT

Pentagon is processing a record backlog of $327 billion in arms exports and is speeding up the clearance process to meet the rising demand for drones, said Vice Admiral Bill Landay, head of the agency responsible for weapons exports.

“We have in excess of 13,000 active cases with more than 165 countries and institutions,” adding up to about $327 billion, he said today at a Pentagon news briefing ahead of the Paris Air Show, which begins June 20.

The agency, which oversees U.S. foreign arms sales, is forecasting fiscal 2011 exports of $46.1 billion, a 45 percent increase from the previous year. Between 2005 and 2010, the agency delivered $96 billion of weapons and military systems to countries around the world, said Landay, who is director of the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

To meet a growing demand for U.S.-made unmanned aerial systems, the agency plans to speed up the exports process by getting pre-approval for countries that may have an interest in the drones, he said.