Saudi Arabia is looking at a possible further order of new helicopters from Sikorsky Aircraft, a unit of United Technologies Corp, after a 10-helicopter purchase announced last month, the company said.

Sikorsky President Bob Leduc told Reuters in an interview that he would travel to Saudi Arabia in September to discuss the possible timing and quantity of additional helicopter orders.

Leduc said the Saudi order could cover a large number of aircraft, but declined to provide any further details. US arms sales are generally negotiated on a government-to-government basis, but companies play a large role in the preparatory stage.

Analysts say Saudi Arabia could eventually double its existing fleet of 80 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, although the purchases could come in smaller batches over time, rather than as one large order.

The State Department last month told Congress it had approved a possible sale to Saudi Arabia of 10 MH-60R Multi-Mission Helicopters built by Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin Corp for an estimated cost of $1.9 billion. – Reuters