The United States said Friday it had approved more than $600 million in sales of air defense missiles to South Korea and Japan as tensions return with North Korea.

The State Department said it had approved 94 SM-2 missiles used by ships against air threats, along with 12 guidance systems for a total cost of $313.9 million.

It separately gave the green light to sell 160 anti-air AMRAAM missiles and related guidance equipment to Japan for $317 million.

The sales "will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States" by assisting key allies and "will not alter the basic military balance in the region," a State Department statement said.

North Korea last week tested what the South Korean military said appeared to be two short-range missiles in its second launch in less than a week.

The tests come amid a standstill in negotiations between North Korea and the United States, where President Donald Trump had boasted of ending Pyongyang's missile tests.

A second summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended in deadlock in February, with the US side refusing demands to ease sanctions until Pyongyang takes major steps to end its nuclear program.

Raytheon gets $355.4M contract to refurbish AGM-88B missiles
Washington (UPI) May 24, 2019 - Raytheon Co. was awarded a $355.4 million contract to refurbish AGM-88B missiles for Qatar, Bahrain and Taiwan, the Defense Department announced.

The firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract calls for AGM-88B High Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles [HARM] replacement exchange, the refurbishment of AGM-88B missiles and the conversion of AGM-88B into Captive Air Training Missiles [CATM-88B].

The HARM is a tactical, air-to-surface anti-radiation missile, capable of speeds up to twice the speed of sound. It is designed to home in on electronic transmissions coming from surface-to-air radar systems.

It can, for example, detect, attack and destroy a radar antenna or transmitter by homing in on enemy radar emissions. In use since 1985, the missile is a part of the arsenal of the U.S. military and of several U.S. allies.

The contract was announced Thursday. Work will be performed at Raytheon's Tucson facility and is expected to be completed by 2027.

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center in Warner Robbins, Ga., is the contracting agent.

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Army's new DeepStrike surface-to-surface missile warhead successfully tested
Washington (UPI) May 22, 2019
A warhead for the U.S. Army's DeepStrike long-range surface-to-surface missile program had a successful test, maker Raytheon Co. announced on Wednesday. The first flight test for the DeepStrike missile, a part of the Precision Strike Missile program, which will replace the Army Tactical Missile System designed in the 1970s, is planned for later this year. Preliminary design review for the munition was finished in March after development was sped forward to move its operational date up by ... read more