The U.S. State Department approved a foreign military sale to Zambia of military helicopters and related logistics support for an estimated cost of $100 million, the Pentagon said in a statement on Monday.

The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the Republic of Zambia for Bell 412 helicopters at an estimated cost of US$100 million.

The US government has cleared the possible sale of Bell 412 utility helicopters to Zambia. The package is valued at $100 million and includes an unspecified number of rotorcraft, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

Zambia aims to increase copper output to a record above 1 million tons this year, as it deepens ties with oil-rich Gulf nations such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

The United States government has approved the sale of Bell 412 twin-engine military utility helicopters to the Republic of Zambia for an approximate value of $100 million, as part of the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.

The United States offered to extend its signature African investment project into the troubled east of the Democratic Republic of Congo as an incentive for a peace deal, but Rwanda has backed away, a senior US diplomat said.