The United States has approved a possible $800 million Foreign Military Sale to Iraq covering Bell helicopters, weapons and related equipment, according to the State Department. The official notification represents approval of a possible sale, not a completed contract, and it does not specify how many helicopters Iraq is seeking. Defense News reported the proposal based on information from the State Department.
The proposed package includes aircraft, weapons, sensors, communications equipment, spare parts, training and technical support. Its weapons include GAU-19 three-barrel machine-gun launchers and M260 seven-tube launchers for 2.75-inch rockets. The notification also lists electro-optical/infrared sensors and missile launch detection systems.
The sensors would include L-3 Wescam MX-15HDI electro-optical/infrared systems. The missile-warning equipment would include AN/AAR-60 Block 2 missile launch detection systems. The State Department said the proposed sale would strengthen Iraq’s rotary-wing transport, reconnaissance and air-to-surface targeting capabilities and improve the country’s ability to address current and future threats.
The package also includes Very High Frequency radios, spare parts, ground support equipment, technical publications and data, and new-equipment training for Iraqi pilots and maintenance personnel. U.S. government and contractor personnel would provide engineering, technical and logistics support under the proposed arrangement.
Bell-Textron, based in Fort Worth, Texas, would be the principal contractor. The notification does not identify the number or configuration of helicopters associated with the proposed sale. It also states that the final quantity, configuration and cost could change as the proposal moves through the Foreign Military Sales process.
The lack of an aircraft quantity distinguishes the notification from earlier Iraqi helicopter modernization requests described in a 2026 Department of Defense Office of Inspector General report on Operation Inherent Resolve. That report said Iraq’s Ministry of Defense had submitted Foreign Military Sales requests for four Bell 412EPXs and 16 Bell 412Ms to replace Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters. It also described a request for 15 new Bell 407Ms to replace existing 407s in the light-attack role.
Those figures come from the inspector general’s account of earlier requests. They do not establish the quantity or configuration of helicopters in the newly approved possible sale. The State Department’s notification does not say that the earlier aircraft requests are the same as the proposal valued at $800 million.
The State Department said the proposed transaction would support U.S. foreign policy and national security interests by helping improve the security of a “strategic partner.” The department also linked the proposed equipment to Iraq’s rotary-wing transport, reconnaissance and air-to-surface targeting capabilities.
The proposed sale therefore remains distinct from a final purchase agreement or delivery schedule. The notification identifies a potential transaction valued at $800 million, while leaving the number of helicopters, the equipment configuration and the final cost subject to change as the proposal moves through the Foreign Military Sales process. The State Department did not specify how many aircraft Iraq would receive or provide a final configuration for the package.