The US government has approved a possible US$800 million sale of Bell 412EPX and Bell 407M helicopters and associated equipment to Iraq, which has been seeking new aircraft for its Army Aviation Command.
The US State Department approved the potential Foreign Military Sale, which has been notified to Congress. The published information does not specify how many helicopters Iraq could acquire under the package.
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Bell Textron, based in Fort Worth, Texas, would be the principal contractor. The proposed sale also includes weapons, sensors, communications equipment, spare parts, training and logistical support.
Equipment listed in the package includes GAU-19 three-barrel machine guns, rocket systems, electro-optical and infrared sensors, missile warning systems and radios.
The Bell 407M is a militarized version of the light single-engine Bell 407, while the twin-engine 412EPX is designed for utility missions and can support troop transport and other military operations.
Iraq has been considering both types for several years as it seeks to replace older helicopters in its military fleet. Previous US Department of Defense reports described plans to replace existing Bell 407s used in the light attack role with Bell 407Ms and Russian-built Mi-17s with aircraft from the Bell 412 family.
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An earlier plan outlined by the US Department of Defense called for 15 Bell 407Ms, four Bell 412EPXs and 16 Bell 412Ms, in addition to 15 Bell 505 training helicopters acquired separately. Subsequent reports indicated that the planned numbers and mix of 407 and 412 variants had changed.
The latest US authorization, however, identifies only the Bell 407M and 412EPX and does not establish that the quantities considered in those earlier plans remain unchanged.
Iraq's plans to replace its Russian-built helicopters became more pressing after Russia's invasion of Ukraine made access to parts and support for the Mi-17 fleet increasingly difficult. US government reports have previously described plans to shift the Iraqi Army Aviation Command toward a predominantly US-built helicopter fleet.
The congressional notification authorizes a possible sale but does not constitute a completed contract. The final value and composition could change after negotiations between Iraq and the US government.
