MD Helicopters could supply Kenya with 12 armed MD530 rotorcraft, under a Foreign Military Sales deal worth $253 million.
Outlined by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 2 May, the potential deal would also cover the provision of armaments including pod-housed cannons, unguided rockets and .50cal machine guns.
Kenya would use the helicopters to support its personnel contribution to the African Union Mission in Somalia, by conducting "scout and attack rotary-wing operations", according to the DSCA.
The African nation's existing rotorcraft inventory already includes 40 earlier-model MD500s, which Flight Fleets Analyzer records as being between 25 and 37 years old. These would be replaced by the new type under the potential sale, which still requires approval from the US Congress.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
