ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The US has approved a possible $800 million military sale of helicopters to Iraq, the State Department said Monday, adding that the proposed sale “will support” US foreign policy and national security by helping “improve the security of a strategic partner.”

“The US Department of State has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Iraq to buy to buy Bell 412EPX helicopters, Bell 407M helicopters and related equipment. The estimated total cost is $800 million,” the State Department said in a statement.

The sale comes as the US-led coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) is scheduled to end its military mission in Iraq by the end of September under an agreement between Washington and Baghdad, with Iraqi forces expected to assume greater responsibility for counterterrorism, surveillance and infrastructure protection.

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a strategic partner,” the State Department said, adding that the proposed sale is set to “improve Iraq’s capability to meet current and future threats by improving its rotary wing transport, reconnaissance, and air-to-surface targeting capabilities.”

The move is also part of Iraq’s broader efforts to modernize its helicopter fleet and expand its own military capabilities.

In October 2024, Iraq’s defense ministry announced that it had received 15 of 41 US-made Bell 505 helicopters as part of a $500 million purchase made in 2024.

At the time, ministry media chief Tahseen al-Khafaji said the helicopters would serve in long-range support missions, stressing that future planning was guided by Iraq’s security challenges, available capabilities, and readiness to integrate modern weapon systems.

Following the US withdrawal from Iraq in 2011, and in line with the Security Agreement between the US and Iraq and the Strategic Framework Agreement for the Operations of US Forces in Iraq signed between the two nations in 2008, American strategy in Iraq has centered on addressing issues related to Iraqi and regional security.