The United States will shoulder half of Croatia’s $500 million purchase of eight UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters that Washington approved in January. Zagreb made the announcement after it signed the procurement’s letter of acceptance on Wednesday.
The remainder that Croatia will cover, which amounts to over $273.8 million, will be disbursed from 2025 to 2027, according to a Defense News report quoting the Croatian Ministry of Defence.
Besides the aircraft, the procurement also includes supplying related equipment such as engines, satellite communication equipment and anti-missile warning systems. Full delivery of the helicopters is expected in 2028, which will increase the Croatian military’s twin-engine Black Hawks to 12.
Ivan Anusic, Croatian deputy prime minister and defense minister, said during the signing ceremony that the Black Hawk acquisition will further deepen bilateral ties even as he expressed hope that the two countries will cooperate on several other large projects.
Nathalie Rayes, U.S. ambassador to Croatia who also attended the LOA signing, viewed the Black Hawk purchase as a joint investment in Croatian defense modernization and the countries’ common goal of ensuring their alliance’s security. Rayes also cited the recent delivery to Croatia of the first tranche of Bradley infantry fighting vehicles that the United States approved in December 2020.
