US: Green light to sell 40 military helicopters to Australia
The US State Department has approved the potential sale of military helicopters and related equipment to Australia, worth an estimated $1.95 billion, blaming the US Pentagon.
As part of strengthening its military presence in the Indo-Pacific region, Australia had requested to buy 40 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters and the prime contractor was Lockheed Martin, according to the same source.
Australia has increased its defense spending in recent years as China attempts to significantly boost its military presence in the Indo-Pacific. Last year, Australia decided to buy nuclear submarines from the United States and Britain.
The items for the possible sale of military helicopters to Australia comes at a time when governments around the world are expressing their desire to invest in weapons systems, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine last February.
In May, the State Department also approved the sale of self-propelled missile launchers to Australia and other military equipment to allies, estimated to be worth more than $3 billion.
Source: RES-MPE