The U.S. State Department has made a determination to approve a possible Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Greece of MH-60R helicopters with related equipment and support.

The approval for the potential FMS, which was announced by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 12 July, covers seven MH-60R multi-mission helicopters equipped with ten APS-l 53(V) Multi-Mode Radars.

Specific equipment and weapons requested by Government of Greece include T700 GE-401 C engines, AGM-114 M36-E9 Captive and AGM-114Q Hellfire air training missiles, Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS) Rockets, MK 54 Torpedoes, M-2400 Crew Served Guns; and GAU-21 Crew Served Guns.

The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the possible sale on Friday.

The DSCA said the proposed sale will support U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives by helping to improve the security of a NATO ally, which is an important partner for political stability and economic progress in Europe. The MH-60R helicopters will bolster the Hellenic Navy’s ability to support NATO and remain interoperable with the U.S. and the NATO alliance.

The DSCA added that the proposed sale will improve Greece’s capability to meet current and future threats.  The MH-60R Multi-Mission Helicopter will provide the capability to perform anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare missions along with the ability to perform secondary missions including vertical replenishment, search and rescue, and communications relay.  Greece will have no difficulty absorbing these helicopters into its armed forces.

The principal contractor will be Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems in Owego, New York.