US Approves $500M Helicopter Maintenance Deal for Saudis

18 Eylül 2021

32 Less than a minute

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Six UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopters assigned to U.S. and Saudi Arabian forces approach the final objective during Friendship and Ironhawk 3, a two-week military-to-military exercise at the Tactical Training Center in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, April 14. The exercise allowed the Soldiers assigned to the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division and 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade of the New York National Guard to share tactics, techniques and procedures at the platoon, company, battalion and brigade level in order to improve interoperability and strengthen ties with their Saudi counterparts.

In 2019, the Saudi crown prince accepted responsibility for the killing of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, souring relations between the two countries.

The US State Department announced Thursday the approval of a maintenance contract worth up to $500 million for Saudi Arabia’s military helicopter fleet, the first with the kingdom since Joe Biden became president.

Under the deal, a continuation of a previous agreement, the US will provide 350 contractor technicians and two government officials over two years to handle the maintenance of the Saudi military’s Apache and Black Hawk attack helicopters, as well as the future fleet of Chinook transports.

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