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US Approves $1.5B Sale of 5 Seahawk maritime Helicopters to New Zealand
The State Department approved a $1.5B sale of five MH-60R Seahawk maritime helicopters to New Zealand as Wellington doubles defense spending amid China's military rise. The United States has approved the $1.5 billion sale of five MH-60R Seahawk multi-mission helicopters to New Zealand, as Wellington accelerates its largest military modernization in decades. The State Department notified Congress of the potential Foreign Military Sale on Friday, clearing the way for Lockheed Martin's Sikorsky unit to supply the maritime helicopters. New Zealand has pledged to nearly double its defense spending to 2% of GDP over eight years, reversing three decades of underinvestment. "We've moved from a benign environment to a much more globally strategically competitive environment," Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said from Queensland, Australia. "It's entirely appropriate that we double our defence spending." The same alliance that brings New Zealand $1.5 billion Seahawks also binds it closer to AUKUS. Wellington says it's only assessing Pillar II cooperation. But drones, space-based surveillance and now American combat helicopters suggest the line between ally and member is already bl...
