An MH-60R Seahawk launches from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on May 17, 2026. (U.S. Navy)
Washington has tentatively approved Seoul’s bid to purchase two major arms packages through the U.S. government’s Foreign Military Sales program, with a combined value of roughly $4.2 billion, according to the State Department.
The proposed sales include 24 MH-60R multimission helicopters for the South Korean navy and upgrades for the army’s AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, the department said in two separate news releases Monday.
Both deals require congressional approval before they can be finalized.
The naval package, valued at approximately $3 billion, would also provide Seoul with 52 GPS and navigational systems, 24 airborne low-frequency sonars and eight M240D 7.62 mm machine guns.
The MH-60R, also known as the Seahawk, is designed for antisubmarine and antisurface warfare, as well as search-and-rescue missions, according to Lockheed Martin, the deal’s principal contractor.
The naval equipment package would improve South Korea’s ability “to meet current and future threats by strengthening its Navy’s multi-mission helicopter capability and by providing a credible force that is capable of deterring adversaries,” the State Department said.
The deal would also support the United States’ foreign policy and national security objectives by “improving the security of a major ally that is an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific region,” according to the release.
The army package, worth roughly $1.2 billion, would provide South Korea with eight AN/APG-78 fire-control radar mast-mounted assemblies; eight Longbow fire-control radar electronic units; and 40 AN/ARC-231A very high frequency/ultra-high frequency radios, among other equipment.
The radar systems are used to detect and track enemy vehicles, aircraft and other targets, while the radio systems provide secure voice and data communications. Boeing is slated as the principal contractor for the Apache upgrades.
The proposed sale would strengthen the South Korean army’s heavy attack helicopter capability, the State Department said, adding Seoul “will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces.”
South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense did not respond to a text message requesting comment on Wednesday.
The proposed purchases come amid growing concerns over North Korea’s missile and underwater weapons programs.
In December, Pyongyang released images through its state-run Korean Central News Agency showing the exterior of what it described as an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered submarine under construction.
North Korea also conducted multiple ballistic missile tests last month.
Moreover, Seoul is making strides to assume wartime operational control by March 2029. The transfer, known as OPCON, would shift command of allied forces during a conflict on the peninsula from the U.S. to South Korea.
Army Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, told the House Armed Services Committee last month that USFK has created a roadmap to complete the transfer by the target date, the Hankyoreh newspaper reported April 24.
