The United States has approved the sale of five MH-60R Seahawk multimission helicopters to New Zealand in a deal valued at around US$ 1.5 billion.
The authorization was granted by the U.S. Department of State and is part of Wellington’s efforts to modernize its Armed Forces and expand its maritime defense capability.
The aircraft will replace the New Zealand Navy’s current fleet of SH-2G(I) Super Seasprite helicopters. The MH-60R is considered one of the most advanced naval helicopters in the world and is widely used by the United States Navy and allies such as Australia.
The package includes not only the five helicopters, but also spare engines, radars, sensors, anti-submarine warfare systems, Mk 54 torpedoes, AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, machine guns, and training and maintenance equipment.
According to the U.S. government, the acquisition will increase New Zealand’s ability to protect its critical infrastructure, strengthen national territorial defense, and participate in joint operations with partner countries. Interoperability with Australian forces was highlighted as one of the main advantages of the deal.
The purchase is part of a broader plan announced by the government of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to increase the country’s military spending. Wellington intends to invest around US$ 5.23 billion in additional defense funding in the coming years and raise the military budget to approximately 2% of GDP, in response to the increasingly competitive strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific region.
Photos: Lockheed Martin. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
