Boeing will build 96 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters for Poland under a US Army foreign military sales contract valued at nearly $4.7 billion.
Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2028. According to Boeing, Poland has already begun training pilots and maintainers and is currently leasing eight aircraft from the US Army.
Christina Upah, who oversees Boeing’s attack helicopter programmes, said in the release that the agreement will allow the company to begin assembling what she described as one of the largest Apache fleets outside the United States. She added that Boeing is working with Poland on what she called disciplined execution to support the country’s defence plans.
The company said an existing offset arrangement gives Polish industry a role in maintaining and supporting the fleet. Boeing plans to set up training programmes and assist with establishing a composite laboratory.
Boeing used the announcement to highlight the AH-64E’s current configuration, which it described as offering advanced levels of lethality, survivability, connectivity and interoperability. These claims reflect the company’s view of the platform, noting recent deliveries of AH-64Es to Australia, India, and Morocco, and identifying Poland as the nineteenth operator.
The company stated that more than 1,300 Apaches are in service globally with sustainment and training support handled by Boeing Global Services.
Who has a bigger fleet? It states one of the largest outside the US, but won’t it be the largest by a fair bit?
It will. South Korea will have the second largest outside the US at 72, Saudi Arabia third with 59. We have the 4th with 50.
Didn’t the UK use to have 60? Wonder why they downsize and would it be worth getting the extra 10 back if it would be advantageous and for buffer and the price is good?
I think we had 68 at one point. Many of the airframes were worked hard in Afghan so not so many were able to get reworked into this variant. I bet we wouldn’t have ordered more anyway. I’m sure they are more lethal and agile though 😄
kinda nuts that the AAC AH 64 numbers have been reduced. Both Labour and Torries wax on about the threat to NATO and yet the evidence shows both parties cutting front line capability . Defence spend is “supposed” to reach 3% of gdp , so begs the question where (and on what) is the increase being invested.
Stated aims are industrial resilience and economic growth. We are hearing a lot about drones, limited GBAD expansion, and new missile systems. Other than that the rise to 2.6% of GDP (including security services) is plugging some gaps in existing plans.
The hope of 3% on core spending by 2035 is just that, hope. The defence equipment plan will be awash with future aspirations based on money that hasn’t yet been committed. A fudge to look like we are enacting the SDSR.
Until funding timelines are committed and there is proper cross party support, then I see limited improvement for the foreseeable future. Sorry if that’s pessimistic, but I think it’s more likely than a sudden big increase in spending.
I’m sure there could be cross party support on defence spending but unfortunately there also needs to be cross party support for cutting the budgets of other remits in order to fund defence properly. That’s not what happens. Instead the opposition pretends that, if only they were in power, they could fund defence without doing any of the unpopular actions, until they win an election and then the roles are reversed, of course. Our democracy at its finest.
67, 48 front line aervice.
In 2 Regiments of 24, 3 Squadrons of 8.
Reduced to 50 with 2 Regiments each of 16, 2x 8 aircraft Squadrons.
So 32 front line with the rest at M Wallop or depth at Wattisham.
Hi Quentin, don’t forget everything we buy new is 2-3 times better than we have so don’t need to buy as many 🫣👀
The original plan was for the AAC to receive around 100 – 120 AH64’s,the bulk of which (75%) would be ‘A’,the rest ‘D’,the subsequent modifications carried out,and Manufacture at Westland’s sorted we ended up with 67.
Well, Poland clearly believes that Apache has a role in war-fighting.
TBH so do I once airspace dominance and control is achieved.
Worth remembering that with appropriate overwatch anyone taking a pot shot at an Apache with an MANPAD is toast.
It is easy to get seduced by all the tiny drones but at the end of the day some heavy hitting is needed once all the Ebay level kit has been cleared and disabled.
Airspace dominance won’t be possible in any future peer or near peer war. We already have drones taking out aircraft, soon it will be them with manpads or just swarming helicopter with explosives strapped to them.
The question is whether the weapons on the Apache can outranged the threat. That appears to be the way that the US is looking at it.
That assumes a lot of things that I do not agree with.
Drones don’t fly that high or that fast. The drones we have seen down jets/helicopters are precisely because the only way anyone dares to fly in the UKR battle space is on the deck because they cannot suppress the 200/300/400 batteries that are around that make high level dangerous.
If you are trying to catch Apache the drones needs to be quick – it is not a slow platform.
Wasn’t there a case where a Ukraine drone fired an anti air missile and took out a russian helicopter.
I’m sure the problem will be overcome with time and new tech and in the meantime the platforms take years to build and can be added with the protection in future. I assume that is the thinking.
Poland is going to have one well armed land force in a decade time. It will be interesting to see if they start using that to get international influence by allying with US in proxy wars.
Still not full capability but still well geared.
Germany is on the up too. See that Poland are also now producing the A149 (Janes, 27 Nov) the last helo standing for the UK’s MHR requirement that’s still tbc. There’s a lot happening in Poland so their unemployment queues must be getting quite short!
True.
Poland need to do something about it’s air force, both fighter jets and heavy lift, if it does it will be a serious heavy weight.
Morning Mate, and of course AUS is on boarding theirs -30 ish in total?
Agreed both Germany and Poland are on the path to becoming formidable land powers, in terms of conventional armaments. Suspect the Poles will eventually become quite interested in the NATO DCA programme, especially if/when UKR partitioned and subjugated by the CRINKs. Me thinks the Poles would not hesitate overly long, before taking out Mad Vlad and the Orcs. 🤔
That’s the way to prepare for war, not erming & are-ing about another 0.5% GDP if & when we can afford it, capability gaps, allowing escort fleet to dwindle even further or asking defence chiefs for more cuts.