U.S. OKs potential sale of military transport planes to Australia -Pentagon

(Reuters) -The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of 24 Super Hercules military transport aircraft and related equipment to Australia in a deal valued at up to $6.35 billion, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

Lockheed Martin Corp is the prime contractor for the proposed sale of the C-130J-30 aircraft, which would help the Royal Australian Air Force replace its aging cargo fleet and improve its overall operational capability, the Pentagon said in a statement.

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States,” the statement said. “Australia is one of our most important allies in the Western Pacific,” it said.

The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the possible sale on Wednesday.

The notification does not indicate that a contract has been signed or that negotiations have concluded.

(Reporting by Ismail Shakil; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Richard Pullin)