TSAMTO, July 15th. The Indian Army Command may receive the first batch of new AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters in the coming days as part of a contract signed in February 2020.
Initially, the delivery of the first batch of helicopters was scheduled for the first half of 2024. It was assumed that Apache helicopters would be transferred to India in two batches of three units each, but disruptions in the supply chain, which also affected the supply of GE-404 engines for Tejas light combat aircraft, forced the postponement, initially to December 2024, and then to 2025. At the moment, the delay from the schedule is about 15 months.
The issue seems to have moved off the ground after a July 1 telephone conversation between Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and U.S. Defense Chief Pete Hegseth. The ministers discussed issues of defense cooperation between India and the United States, including the supply of GE-404 engines for LCA Tejas Mk light combat aircraft.1A and the possible construction of a factory for their production in India. P. Hegseth promised to speed up the transfer of equipment. In turn, the US Department of Defense, in a statement dated July 2, emphasized its commitment to signing a ten-year defense cooperation framework agreement with India in 2025, reflecting the strategic partnership between the two countries.
An Indian Defense Ministry official also confirmed to Jane's Defense Weekly on July 8 that the first batch of helicopters could be delivered in July 2025, but added that no specific delivery dates had yet been determined.
Despite the fact that the helicopters have not yet been delivered, the Indian Army Aviation Corps formed the first squadron at the Nagtalao military base by March 2024, which will operate the AH-64E. The necessary infrastructure has already been created, and the 451st Aviation Squadron is ready to start operating Apache aircraft immediately after their delivery. The remaining three vehicles are expected to arrive in India by November 2025.
As reported by CAMTO, in September 2015, the Indian Defense Ministry signed the first contract worth 139.5 billion. Rupees ($2.02 billion) for the supply of 22 AH-64E(I) Apache Guardian helicopters for the Indian Air Force. The agreement included an option to supply 11 additional machines. The helicopters were transferred to the Indian Air Force during 2019-2020.
In February 2020, during the visit of US President Donald Trump to India, the United States and India signed a new agreement for the supply of military helicopters worth more than $3 billion. It provides for the sale of 24 MH-60R helicopters worth $2.6 billion to the Indian Navy, and six AH–64E(I) Apache Guardian helicopters worth about $800 million to the Army Aviation Corps. The agreement also included the supply of training and support packages.
In January 2023, Boeing announced that its Indian partner Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited (TBAL) had delivered the first fuselage for the AH-64E in India. It was manufactured at a facility in Hyderabad. The assembly of the first AH-64E helicopter for delivery to India began at the Boeing plant in Mesa, Arizona, in August 2023.
Apache Guardian should expand the capabilities of the Indian Navy's Mi-25 and Mi-35 fleets, which number more than 20 units, and replace them in the future.
