The Department of State has approved a proposed sale of eight UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to Croatia.
According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the potential Foreign Military Sale has an estimated cost of $500 million.
The FMS deal will boost Croatia’s ability to deter current and future threats, support coalition operations, and promote interoperability with the United States and other NATO forces, the agency said.
Apart from the eight multimission aircraft, the United States will also provide 19 T700-GE 701D engines, 20 satellite communications radios, 10 counter-missile warning systems, 20 embedded GPS and 18 M240H machine guns.
The procurement includes critical components for the Black Hawk helicopter‘s efficient operations and maintenance and associated elements of logistics and program support. Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky is set to be the lead contractor.
The DCSA noted that equipping Croatia with UH-60M supports the United States’ foreign policy and national security and promotes the government’s agenda of maintaining political stability and economic progress in Europe.
Defense Blog reported that the aircraft purchase is expected to expand Croatia’s existing fleet of four UH-60 helicopters and advance its program of transitioning to more advanced helicopter models to strengthen its military capabilities.
