U.S. Approves $300M Foreign Military Sale of Bell Helicopter Support to Iraq

The U.S. State Department has granted its authorization for a substantial Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Iraq, involving Bell Helicopter's Contracted Logistics Support (CLS) and associated equipment, with an approximate value of $300 million.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) delivered the required certification to Congress.

The Government of Iraq had previously requested additional services to be added to an existing FMS case, which was valued at $28 million and included a Bell Contracted Logistics Support (CLS) and Field Service Representative (FSR) contract. The new notification covers the combined CLS and FSR maintenance support for a range of Bell aircraft, including three (3) 407 variants, 206B3, OH-58A/C Kiowa, Huey II, and 505. The sale package also encompasses U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services, as well as studies, surveys, and other related elements of logistics and program support.

The principal contractor for this sale is Bell Helicopter Company, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas.

An Iraqi Bell helicopter had crashed in September

According to reports from Iraqi media, the country's defense ministry disclosed that a Bell (Jet Ranger) helicopter crashed in September. The incident took place while the helicopter was conducting a training mission at Al-Kut Air Base in Wasit Governorate. The crash was attributed to a technical failure.