The U.S. State Department has approved a possible $800 million foreign military sale to Iraq for Bell 412EPX and Bell 407M helicopters, along with related equipment, in a package aimed at improving the country’s transport, reconnaissance and air-to-surface targeting capabilities. Bell-Textron of Fort Worth, Texas, is named as the principal contractor.
The request also covers GAU-19 gun launchers, M260 rocket launchers, an L-3 Wescam MX-15HDI sensor, AN/AAR-60 Block 2 missile warning systems, radios, spare parts, training and logistics support. The approval remains a notification step rather than a final contract, and it now enters the standard congressional review period before any deal can be completed.
Washington framed the proposed sale as supporting U.S. foreign policy and national security by helping a strategic partner meet current and future threats. For Bell, the package represents a significant potential order in military rotorcraft at a time when governments in the Middle East continue to modernise helicopter fleets for surveillance, mobility and strike missions.