State Department clears $1.2B Seahawk helo sale

By Justin Doubleday / April 19, 2018 at 5:30 PM

The State Department has approved a potential $1.2 billion sale of MH-60R Seahawk multimission helicopters to Mexico, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced today.

The possible sale includes eight MH-60R helicopters and associated parts and mission systems, as well as 1,000 AN/SSQ-36/53/62 Sonobuoys, 10 AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, 38 Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS) II rockets, 30 Mk -54 Lightweight Hybrid Torpedoes, 12 M-240D machine guns and 12 GAU-21 machine guns, according to DSCA.

“Mexico has been a strong partner in combating organized crime and drug trafficking organizations,” DSCA states. “The sale of these aircraft to Mexico will significantly increase and strengthen its maritime capabilities. Mexico intends to use these defense articles and services to modernize its armed forces and expand its existing naval and maritime support of national security requirements and its efforts to combat criminal organizations.”

The major arms sale was announced on the same day the White House rolled out a new conventional arms transfer policy aimed at increasing U.S. defense sales to international partners.

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