US approves $800 million military helicopter sale to Iraq

Full text

The United States has approved a potential $800 million sale of Bell helicopters, weapons and related equipment to Iraq, according to the State Department .

The proposed Foreign Military Sale includes GAU-19 three-barrel machine gun launchers, M260 seven-tube launchers for 2.75-inch rockets, electro-optical/infrared sensors and missile launch detection systems.

The State Department did not specify how many helicopters Iraq is seeking to purchase.

The package also includes Very High Frequency radios, spare parts, ground support equipment, technical publications and data, and new-equipment training for Iraqi pilots and maintenance personnel. U.S. government and contractor personnel would provide engineering, technical and logistics support.

The State Department said the proposed sale would improve Iraq’s ability to address current and future threats by strengthening its rotary-wing transport, reconnaissance and air-to-surface targeting capabilities.

Equipment to be sold includes L-3 Wescam MX-15HDI electro-optical/infrared sensors and AN/AAR-60 Block 2 missile launch detection systems.

The proposed sale follows earlier U.S.-Iraqi efforts to modernize Iraq’s military helicopter fleet. A 2026 Department of Defense Office of Inspector General report on Operation Inherent Resolve said Iraq’s Ministry of Defense had submitted Foreign Military Sales requests for four Bell 412EPXs and 16 Bell 412Ms to replace Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters, as well as 15 new Bell 407Ms to replace existing 407s in the light-attack role.

Those previously reported quantities and the Bell 412M request, however, should not be considered as the quantities or configuration of the newly minted $800 million sale and are based solely on the OIG report.

The State Department said the proposed sale would support U.S. foreign policy and national security interests by helping improve the security of a “strategic partner.”

Bell-Textron , based in Fort Worth, Texas, would be the principal contractor.

The official notification represents approval of a possible Foreign Military Sale, not a completed contract. The final quantity, configuration and cost could change as the proposed sale moves through the Foreign Military Sales process.