WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has approved the possible sale of Tomahawk weapons system support services and related equipment to Australia for $250 million, U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on Wednesday.

       The Australian Government will determine the principal contractor, the statement said, adding: "The proposed sale will allow Australia to better utilize the Tomahawk Weapon System it is procuring and ensure appropriate weapon pairing is evaluated to identify defined targets more precisely."

       (Reporting by Susan Heavey)