U.S. Approves $800M Bell 407/412 Sale to Iraq Military

The Pentagon has greenlit a foreign military sale to the government of Iraq, paving the way for the potential acquisition of the twin-engine Bell 412EPX and single-engine Bell 407M. Authorization for the package, worth an estimated $800 million including armament and associated equipment, comes as U.S.-led coalition forces are preparing to withdraw from the country by the end of September.

On August 31, the U.S. Department of State announced that the proposed sale “will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a strategic partner.” Fort Worth, Texas-based Bell Textron will be the principal contractor. Although no specific numbers have been announced, the package will include “U.S. government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support service.”

Cirium data estimates that Iraq’s armed forces operate around 40 older Bell 407s and fifteen 505s, in addition to some 42 Soviet Mi-8/17s with the Army. The OEM says that the updated Subaru Bell 412EPX variant—which has capacity for one pilot plus 14 passengers—“further improves reliability and durability of the Bell 412 series currently active in various fields.” Typical roles include aerial firefighting, law enforcement, and troop and cargo transport. The multirole Bell 407M can be used for a variety of missions including light attack, close air support, special operations, and armed reconnaissance.

The potential acquisition comes as an international U.S.-led coalition is preparing to withdraw from Iraq, concluding a process first initiated in September 2024, and ending a presence that started with the 2003 U.S.-led invasion against Saddam Hussein. A U.S. statement dated July 14 explained how U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi had met to discuss the end of “Operation Inherent Resolve,” adding that “a sovereign, stable and strong Iraq paves the way for mutually beneficial commercial and defense cooperation.”

In its statement, the U.S. concluded that “the United States, Iraq, and coalition partners have achieved tremendous success in defeating ISIS and now the Iraqi Security Forces, including the Peshmerga and other Iraqi Kurdistan region security forces, will lead the fight against terrorists in Iraq.”