Iraq approved for purchase of armed Bell 407GX helicopters
Oct. 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department this week approved the sale of Bell 407GX helicopters to Iraq for an estimated cost of $ 82.5 million. The sale, announced Thursday by the State Department, is meant to "help compensate" for the combat loss of seven IA407 helicopters, as well as increase the combat effectiveness of the Iraqi Security Forces, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Friday. The five helicopters will be configured with M240 7.62mm machine guns, RF-7850A secure communications radios, AN/AAR-60 MILDS automatic plume detectors, M3P .50 caliber machine guns, M260 rocket launchers, GAU-19 .50 caliber machine guns and other system management systems. The sale also includes spare parts and support. "Providing Iraq with this capability supports U.S. security goals by fu...