UAE asks to buy $7 bln U.S. missile defense system

WASHINGTON, Sept 8 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates has asked to buy an advanced U.S. missile-defense system valued at up to $7 billion that could be used to defend against Iran, people who have attended briefings on the matter said on Monday.

The Pentagon is set to notify Congress of the proposed sale of the system, built by Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) with Raytheon Co (RTN.N) as primary subcontractor, several people familiar with the matter said.

Once notified, Congress has 30 days to review a proposed foreign military sale but almost never blocks them.

In any case, deployment of the missile defense system is "at least months away" and could take more than a year, said a congressional staff member familiar with the matter. (Reporting by Jim Wolf; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)