US State Department Greenlights Major Defense Sales to New Zealand and South Korea

The US State Department has approved several Foreign Military Sales (FMS) agreements to provide advanced defense equipment to New Zealand and South Korea.

The potential acquisitions, announced Friday, are valued at $1.57 billion for New Zealand and $106 million for South Korea.

The primary package for New Zealand, valued at $1.5 billion, includes five Lockheed Martin MH-60R Seahawk helicopters. This deal also covers airborne low-frequency sonars and Link 16 Multifunctional Information Distribution Systems Joint Tactical Radio Systems (MIDS-JTRS).

Furthermore, the sale includes 65 AGM-114R Hellfire missiles and 225 missiles and guidance sections for the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) guided rockets.

In a separate $69 million agreement approved the same day, New Zealand is slated to receive 20 MK 54 lightweight torpedoes and supporting equipment. These torpedoes are compatible with both the new MH-60R helicopters and the P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine aircraft currently in New Zealand’s fleet.

This move follows an August announcement by New Zealand to select the MH-60R as the replacement for eight Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite helicopters, which were originally acquired from Australia in 2013.

Regarding South Korea, the State Department approved $106 million for the procurement of 708 KMU-557 JDAM tail kits and 58 KMU-572 JDAM guidance sets.

The KMU-557 kit transforms the 2,000-lb BLU-109 air-dropped penetrator bomb into a satellite-guided precision weapon, while the KMU-572 performs a similar conversion for the 500-lb MK 82 bomb.

South Korea’s current fleet—including the F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter, F-15K Slam Eagle, and F-16C/D multirole fighters—is fully capable of deploying both types of JDAMs.

These FMS notifications are not final sales; final quantities and costs are often adjusted during negotiations. While lawmakers have a 30-day window to block such deals, this action is rarely taken.

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