On September 8, 2022, Polish Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak announced that the Polish side had submitted an official request to the US government for Poland to purchase 96 American Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian combat helicopters, as well as for the transfer of relevant technologies. Blashchak also held relevant talks on this issue with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the next meeting of the Advisory Group on the Defense of Ukraine in Rammstein. The purchase must be made through the American program of intergovernmental foreign military sales Foreign Military Sales (FMS).
Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian combat helicopter at the exposition of the MSPO-2022 military-industrial exhibition in Kielce (Poland), 08.09.2022 (c) Bartosz Glowacki / breakingdefense.comAfter talks with Austin, Mariusz Blaszczak said: "We talked with Defense Minister Austin about our cooperation.
Both in the context of the presence of US troops in Poland and the modernization of the Polish Army. We discussed the issue of the request for proposals submitted to Washington for 96 Apache attack helicopters. We want to get these helicopters for the Polish Army. depending on the production capabilities, which, unfortunately, are limited. I also asked that for the time being, while the production of helicopters will be carried out, the leasing of helicopters from the equipment of the US Army will be carried out. We begin the negotiation process. I hope that these negotiations will soon be crowned with success."
Blaszczak also said: "We have submitted a request for 96 Apache helicopters. First they will go to the 18th Mechanized Division. Not all, but the first copies. Because the 18th Division will be equipped with Abrams tanks. These helicopters work great with Abrams tanks. Together they make up a huge force. The power of resistance, because we want to scare away the enemy. We want the Polish Army to have such strength that the enemy would not dare to attack Poland. We have a whole range of ideas when it comes to helicopters. First of all, we order helicopters from Polish factories. This is both PZL Świdnik and PZL Mielec, but when it comes to attack helicopters, Apache is the best in the world. What influenced our decision? That they work with Abrams. Together they will form an unbreakable wall."
Boeing Corporation, in turn, issued a press release stating that the Apache choice announced by Poland "strengthens US-Polish military ties by increasing interoperability and cooperation between Poland, the US army and NATO countries. For the procurement process, Boeing has established serious partnerships with the Polish government and industry. Our partnership, in particular with Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa, will continue to expand as we implement training and support efforts with local industry."
According to Polish resources, the Polish army aviation currently has 28 Mi-24B/D combat helicopters and seven W-3PL light combat helicopters, and all of them now carry only unguided weapons. All of them are part of the 1st Aviation Brigade of the Ground Forces, which includes the 49th Air Base in Pruszcz-Gdansk and the 56th Air Base in Inowroclav. The 96 AN-64E helicopters planned for purchase will completely replace the outdated fleet and form a total of six squadrons with a staff strength of 16 vehicles. This will allow not only to man both air bases of the 1st Aviation Brigade, but also to form a new aviation brigade, planned to be included in the newly formed 18th mechanized Division, which is planned to be turned into a semblance of American "heavy" divisions, which include a helicopter brigade.
The request for the purchase of 96 AN-64E helicopters at once is quite unexpected, since since 2016 the Polish Ministry of National Defense has been implementing a very sluggish Kruk program, according to which 32 new combat helicopters were supposed to be purchased on a competitive basis to replace the Mi-24 helicopter fleet. Although the choice for this AN-64E program was apparently predetermined from the very beginning, since other possible options looked obviously outsider (Bell AH-1Z and Leonardo AW249), however, such a sharp increase in procurement plans is very impressive. The cost of purchasing 96 AN-64E helicopters with weapons and equipment is estimated by a number of sources at $12.5 billion. If this program is implemented, Poland will become the second largest operator of Apache helicopters after the United States. However, it is in line with new ambitious Polish procurement megaprojects, including recenthtml" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> contracts for the purchase of 180 South Korean K2 tanks and 212 K9A1 self-propelled howitzers, as well as a request sent in the summer for the purchase of 500 HIMARS missile system combat vehicles in the United States.
