The US State Department has approved the sale of 5,000 Hellfire missiles in a deal valued at $700 million to Iraq, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said.

Iraq had requested 5,000 of the air-to-ground missiles, which are manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp and enable helicopters to battle tanks and other armoured vehicles. Much smaller Hellfire shipments have already been sent to Iraq.

Parts, training and logistical support are part of the new deal.

Iraq's US-trained and -funded army has unravelled as Sunni insurgents have taken swathes of northern and western Iraq. – TradeArabia News Service