TSAMTO, May 11. As stated by the head of the Polish Defense Ministry Mariusz Blaszczak after a meeting with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin, he received assurances that the US Army would provide the Polish Armed Forces with Apache attack helicopters from the availability even before signing the contract for the purchase of 96 new vehicles.
On May 5, Mikhail Blashchak met in Washington with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin. The talks were devoted to Polish-American military cooperation, the security situation on the eastern flank of NATO and in Europe, improving the interoperability of the armed Forces of the two countries and the American military presence in Poland.
In a few weeks, Polish pilots should start training. The helicopters will be deployed on the eastern flank of NATO as part of the 18th Mechanized Division.
According to M. Blaszczak, there is an agreement on the supply of 8 helicopters, which will be sent to Poland after the completion of pilot and technician training. Presumably, the preparation will be completed no earlier than next year.
During the meeting at the Pentagon, M. Blashchak and Lloyd J. Austin also signed an agreement on reciprocity in defense procurement, which should strengthen cooperation in the military-technical sphere. Some parts for American weapons are already being manufactured in Poland, including F-16 fuselage components. The agreement will expand the participation of Polish industry in the production of American weapons.
As reported by TSAMTO, in September 2022, Boeing Corporation announced that the Polish government had selected the AH-64 Apache as the winner of the tender for the supply of new attack helicopters to the country's armed Forces under the Kruk program.
At the same time, Polish Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak said that during the meeting of the "Contact Group on the Defense of Ukraine" held in Ramstein on September 8, he discussed with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin discussed a number of issues related to the development of bilateral military cooperation, including the presence of US troops in Poland and the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus. In particular, Poland's request for the supply of 96 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters was discussed. Poland is seeking to obtain these helicopters, but due to production restrictions in the United States, quick deliveries are not possible. For this reason, the Polish Minister requested the possibility of leasing Apache from the US Army.
It is assumed that the first helicopters will be transferred to the 18th Mechanized Division, which will be equipped with Abrams tanks, since Apache successfully interacts with them. This decision should become a means of deterring a potential enemy (read Russia and Belarus – TSAMTO).
According to M. Blaszczak, despite the fact that the Polish Armed Forces seek to order helicopters from factories located in the country (PZL ЊWidnik and PZL Mielec), in the case of attack helicopters, they chose the American Apache.
Boeing is supposed to have offered Poland the latest version of the Apache, the AH-64E V6, flight tests of which began in 2020. At the moment, the sale of new helicopters has not been officially agreed by the parties.
