Interest in US-built combat search and rescue helicopters was first disclosed in 2025.
Norway has abandoned plans to purchase nine Sikorsky HH-60W combat search and rescue helicopters to focus on other defence priorities.
Oslo’s interest in the HH-60W – originally developed for the US Air Force – emerged last year in a Foreign Military Sales notification from the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
That put the estimated cost for the helicopters and related equipment at $2.6 billion – or nearly $300 million per aircraft.
However, there had been no update since on the acquisition process and Norway now says that it will not proceed with the buy.
“We can confirm that we will not sign the [letter of acceptance] within the current deadline,” says the country’s defence materiel agency.
It says this is due to the changed defence spending priorities laid out in March “and the need for strict prioritisation among the acquisition programmes in the revised long-term defence plan.”
The HH-60Ws were to be partial replacements for 18 elderly Bell 412s flown by the Royal Norwegian Air Force on behalf of the army and special forces.
But the March spending plan disclosed that the process had been kicked into the long grass.
“The procurement of helicopters to support the Norwegian Armed Forces’ special forces and land forces has been postponed,” the document stated.
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