US approves $8.5 billion sale of Chinook helicopters to Germany

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has approved an $8.5 billion sale of Chinook helicopters to NATO ally Germany. The approval comes as the war in Ukraine continues to tax the military stocks of Western countries but is not directly related to the conflict. The State Department said Thursday it had notified Congress that the U.S. would sell Germany 60 Chinooks along with engines and associated spare parts, including missile warning systems. State says the sale is meant to boost Germany’s heavy lift military capability and “deter regional threats.”