Helicopters and surveillance aircraft head a raft of proposed foreign military sales freshly notified by the US Department of Defense, writes Graham Warwick.
The deals include two General Atomics MQ-9 Predator B unmanned air vehicles for the UK Ministry of Defence, to support NATO operations in Afghanistan (Flight International, 5-11 September). The UK sale is valued at $77 million.
The biggest deal is the proposed $900 million sale to Iraq of 24 Raytheon Beechcraft King Air 350ER intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, plus 24 King Air 350ERs or PZL Mielec M-18 Skytrucks for light transport duties.
Poland has already supplied helicopters to Iraq, and its Skytruck bid is being supported by Lockheed Martin, which is in the process of delivering Warsaw’s new fleet of 48 F-16 fighters. Lockheed would also benefit from the proposed $142 million sale of an FPS-117 or TPS-77 long-range air traffic control radar to Iraq.
The Netherlands has meanwhile requested the possible purchase of nine Boeing CH-47F Chinook heavylift helicopters, plus the upgrade of 11 CH-47Ds to the latest F configuration, in a deal worth $652 million. The Netherlands also late last month requested a new F-16 logistics support package with the DoD, valued at $150 million.
Other proposed rotorcraft deals include the $303 million sale of 15 additional Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk transport helicopters to Colombia, and a $300 million deal to supply six Sikorsky S-70B Seahawks to the Brazilian navy to augment or replace its Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King maritime helicopters. Jordan, meanwhile, has also requested the sale of two UH-60Ls for VIP transport tasks, in a deal worth $60 million.
Source: Flight International
