France is seeking to almost double the amount of Hellfire missiles it is buying from the US government. The State Department has approved the possible $30 million sale of an additional 200 Hellfire Missiles, Hellfire Missile conversion kits, blast fragmentation sleeves and installation kits, containers, and transportation, according to a May 2 Defense Security Cooperation Agency release. Congress was notified of the proposed deal on April 29. The NATO ally has already received 214 Hellfire missiles, 50 training missiles, conversion kits, blast fragmentation sleeves and installation kits, containers, and transportation as part of the existing $42 million deal, bringing the total cost of an amended deal to an estimated $72 million. The missiles would be used by French Tiger attack helicopters to support French forces in Mali and Northern Africa, according to the release. The DSCA said the sale would not adversely impact US defense readiness in the release. (See also: Return of Lend-Lease.)
Impure metal used to make a gear in the proprotor gearbox of a CV-22 caused it to fail, leading to a mishap and emergency landing in November 2024 that resulted in nearly $2.8 million in damages and a brief operational pause for the entire Osprey fleet, according to a new Air Force report.
