US Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter.
AUGUST 23RD. 2023. The U.S. State Department has approved a request from the Polish government for 96 Boeing AH-64E Apache helicopters and “related equipment” for an estimated cost of $12 billion.
The order would make NATO member Poland — which borders Ukraine and Russian ally Belarus — the largest operator of the AH-64E outside of the United States.
The Eastern European country has, like many in the region, been making heavy investments in its military since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The request for the Apaches, which is still pending congressional approval, also includes 1,844 AGM-114R2 Hellfire Missiles, 460 AGM-179A Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles, 508 Stinger 92K Block I Missiles, and 7,650 WGU-59/B Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS-II) Guidance Sections. Mission equipment, spares, training, and support is also included.
The Polish government sent the request for the attack helicopters to the U.S. government last year, and has been awaiting approval of the transaction as a Foreign Military Sale.
Discussing the request in September last year, Mariusz Błaszczak, Poland’s deputy prime minister and defence minister, said the country’s 18th Mechanized Division would have “the highest priority” in terms of fielding the Apaches. The 18th Mechanized Division is based in Siedlce, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of Warsaw, towards the border with Belarus.
“Not all of the aircraft will end up there, but it is an obvious choice since it is the 18th Division which will be equipped with Abrams tanks, and these are most effective when they work together with Apaches,” said Deputy Prime Minister Błaszczak. “Their joint firepower is an enormous deterrence capability, and our goal is to deter [the] enemy.”
In May, Deputy Prime Minister Błaszczak said he had reached an agreement with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin for the temporary provision of eight Apaches from the U.S. Army’s own resources to enable it to begin training with the aircraft.
“I will say cautiously that we are unlikely to complete the training this year, but we will start training as soon as possible,” he said. “Apaches are great weapons and indeed give an advantage to the army that owns these helicopters. . . . These are the best attack helicopters in the world.”
The AH-64E is built at Boeing’s site in Mesa, Arizona. According to Boeing, more than 1,275 Apaches are currently in service around the world.
“The proposed sale will improve Poland’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing a credible force that is capable of deterring adversaries and participating in NATO operations,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a press release announcing the approval. “Poland will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces.”
Poland has robustly supported US-led efforts to support Ukraine against the Russian onslaught, with a large portion of the billions of dollars in US weapons provided to Ukraine crossing the border through Poland.
Poland announced in January that it plans to spend four percent of its gross domestic product on defense this year – well above the NATO target of two percent.
In June, it received the first Abrams tanks as part of a $1.4 billion deal for the combat vehicles previously used by the US Marine Corps.
Last year, Poland bought another 250 Abrams in a more modern M1A2 variant, which are expected to be delivered in late 2024. It will be the first country outside the United States with the tanks.
The Ukraine war has solidified the relationship between the United States and Poland, whose conservative government had earlier butted heads with President Joe Biden‘s administration on issues including LGBTQ rights and media freedom.
In the statement, the State Department called Poland “a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe.”
Congress has the right to review and block the helicopter deal but objections are not expected.
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