The U.S. State Department has approved a $140 million foreign military sale of four Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters to Argentina, the department announced this week, clearing the way for one of the more significant U.S.-Argentina defense transactions in recent years.
The package includes two spare T700-GE-701D engines, communication and navigation equipment, rescue hoists, training equipment and sustainment support, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notification that accompanied the approval.
The State Department said the sale would strengthen Argentina's ability to "manage border security, counter-transnational crime, and execute humanitarian and disaster-response operations," and described Argentina as a "major non-NATO ally" and "a force for political stability and economic progress in South America."
The Argentine Army has been looking to replace its aging fleet of Bell UH-1H and Huey II helicopters since it first announced plans to acquire Black Hawks in 2024, part of a broader modernization push for its rotary-wing fleet after years of limited defense spending.
The sale is part of a wider pattern of U.S. military assistance across the region this year. Mexico separately agreed to purchase roughly $680 million in Black Hawk helicopters from the United States to combat drug trafficking, underscoring how the aircraft has become a standard offering in U.S. security cooperation with Latin American governments.
The announcement makes no mention of the Malvinas (Falkland Islands) dispute or the broader state of relations between Washington, London and Buenos Aires. Foreign military sales of this kind are typically negotiated over many months before formal notification, meaning the timing relative to the current Malvinas (Falkland Islands) standoff is most likely coincidental rather than a deliberate signal.
Even so, it comes at a moment of unusually close defense engagement between the U.S. and Argentina, days after President Trump was reported to have signaled a review of the degree of U.S. support for Britain's position on the islands. Argentine officials have not publicly linked the two developments.
Delivery timelines were not disclosed in this week's notification. Congressional review periods and contract finalization for sales of this size typically mean it will be a year or more before Argentina actually receives the aircraft.