The US State Department has approved the sale of 5 MH-60R Seahawk multi-purpose aircraft and related equipment to New Zealand for a total value of 1.5 billion USD.
In a notice posted on the official website, the US State Department said it had approved the possibility of conducting a military arms sale to the Government of New Zealand, including multi-purpose MH-60R helicopters and accompanying equipment.
The deal took place when New Zealand pledged to almost double defense spending to improve military capabilities.
Under President Donald Trump, the US has continuously urged allies in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region to increase defense budgets. New Zealand, Australia's close ally, is increasingly expanding its deployment in East Asia to support Western military forces and partners.
The Seahawk helicopters in this deal are manufactured by Sikorsky unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation.
The purchase of helicopters is part of the New Zealand government's 2025 plan to increase 9 billion NZD (New Zealand dollars) for defense in 4 years. The plan also aims to almost double defense spending to an equivalent level of 2% of gross domestic product in 8 years.
Last month, Wellington allocated an additional 1.58 billion NZD to the new defense budget to modernize the armed forces of this island nation.
According to the US State Department, the deal will help New Zealand improve its ability to cope with current and future threats, while strengthening the protection of key infrastructure.
The agency also believes that the upgraded capacity from receiving MH-60R helicopters will support New Zealand in strengthening its territorial defense capabilities.
