The US State Department has approved the sale of four Bell AH-1Z Viper or 12 Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk utility and assault helicopters to the Czech Republic.

A Taiwanese Army UH-60M Black Hawk (Picture source: 總統府)

The procurement will replace its aging Russian Mi-24 helicopters, and the sale will “contribute to the Czech Republic’s military goal of updating its capabilities while further enhancing interoperability with the United States and NATO allies,” the DSCA said.

The proposed sale of 12 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters includes 12 M261 Rocket Launchers and 114 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) rocket guidance systems, 24 M240H machine guns, 24 M134D Mini Guns, 12 GAU-19B Machine Guns and 12 GP-19 Machine Gun Pods, and other equipment, weapons and ammunition, along with training, spares, and support, and is estimated at $800 million.

The proposed sale of four AH-1Z attack helicopters includes 14 AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, M197 20mm machine guns and other equipment, along with training, spares, and support, and is estimated at $205 million.

The principal contractors will be Textron’s Bell Helicopter and General Electric, and there are no known offset agreements in connection with the potential sale.