The US State Department has approved the sale of the $3.75 billion M1A1 Abrams main battle tank to Poland and the $1.5 billion CH-47 Chinook type heavy transport helicopter to South Korea.
"The State Department has decided to approve the sale of M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks and related equipment to Poland with an estimated value of $3.75 billion," the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a written statement.
In the statement, it is said that a notification was sent to Congress regarding the approval of the sale, the sales package included 116 M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks, as well as Hercules rescue vehicles, 8 attack bridges, 6 command vehicles, 26 High Performance Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs), 26 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV), 116 M2 .50 caliber machine guns, 232 7.62 mm caliber machine guns, 6 AGT1500 gas turbine engines, a large number of ammunition and other support equipment.
It was stated that the sale would make a significant contribution to Poland's security and increase the country's interoperability with NATO.
In another statement made by the agency, it was reported that the sale of 18 CH-47 Chinook type heavy transport helicopters to South Korea was approved.
In the notification sent to the congress, it was stated that the sales package included 18 helicopters, as well as a large number of spare engines and helicopter-related equipment. The estimated value of the sale was 1.5 billion dollars.
The State Department's approvals for arms sales simply mean that the sale is not an issue for the US administration.
If the US Congress does not object to the decision within 15 working days for NATO members and 30 working days for non-NATO members, the administration starts negotiations with the approved country for the content of the sales package. At the end of these negotiations, the US offers a letter of offer to that country. If a positive response to the offer is received, the procurement process is carried out.
