Poland’s defense ministry has signed offset agreements with Boeing and General Electric worth nearly $255 million, edging closer to finalizing a $12 billion deal to acquire 96 AH-64E Apache helicopters.
The $102 million agreement with Boeing focuses on maintenance support for the AH-64E Apache. The $135 million deal with General Electric covers the maintenance of GE T700 turbines used in other helicopters within the Polish armed forces, such as the S70 Black Hawk.
The order for the 96 AH-64Es is expected to be signed soon by Warsaw, with the delivery of the aircraft expected between 2028 and 2032.
“The Polish Army is about to acquire these helicopters, which will really strengthen our readiness, our security in the face of what is happening beyond the borders of the Republic of Poland, I mean the war in Ukraine,” Poland’s Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Bejda stated.
The AH-64E Apache Guardian is the latest and most advanced variant of the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter series. It features upgraded engines and new composite rotor blades.
These helicopters will replace and expand Poland’s fleet of approximately 30 Soviet-made Mi-24 Hind gunships. Initiated in 2014, the Kruk (Polish for Raven) program sought to find a replacement for Poland’s aging attack helicopters.
The program considered five helicopters: the Airbus Tiger, the Leonardo AW249, the TAI T129, the Boeing AH-64E, and the Bell AH-1Z. By April 2022, Boeing and Bell’s offers were shortlisted, and on September 8, 2022, Poland officially selected the Boeing AH-64E, significantly increasing the scope of the order from 32 to 96 aircraft.
