State Department approves $2.6B helicopter sale to India

By Justin Doubleday / April 2, 2019 at 5:08 PM

The State Department has approved the potential sale of MH-60R Seahawk helicopters to India in a deal valued at $2.6 billion.

The possible sale, announced today by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, includes 24 helicopters along with a host of supporting equipment, armaments and training services. The MH-60R is manufactured by Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems.

"The proposed sale will provide India the capability to perform anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare missions along with the ability to perform secondary missions including vertical replenishment, search and rescue, and communications relay," the DSCA announcement states. "India will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense. India will have no difficulty absorbing these helicopters into its armed forces."

The announcement comes as U.S. officials have attempted to forge closer ties with India and push New Delhi away from Russian arms. Last fall, the United States and India signed "enabling agreements" allowing the two countries to use secure communications, protect technology and protect information. The agreements are key to moving major arms deals forward, Randall Schriver, assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs, said at the time.

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