The Obama administration has sent missiles to Iraq, with other equipment on the way to help the government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki fight off al-Qaeda-like insurgents.

The emergency military assistance will also prove beneficial to the American defense contractors that manufacture the hardware targeted for Iraq.

The Iraqi military will receive 75 Hellfire missiles from Washington. Costing nearly $70,000 a piece, the delivery represents an early Christmas gift for arms maker Lockheed Martin. The company also made out with the order to manufacture Aerostat surveillance balloons, three of which were provided to the Iraqi government by the Obama administration.