TSAMTO, August 6th. As part of the upcoming deal for the purchase of 96 AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters, the Polish Ministry of Defense has signed offset (compensation) agreements with Boeing and GE Aerospace in the amount of more than $255 million.
As reported by Defence-industry.eu With reference to Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Beid, offset agreements will help strengthen cooperation between the supplier and Polish companies and, ultimately, increase Poland's defense capability and security.
The compensation deal with Boeing worth 400 million zlotys ($102 million) includes technical support for AH-64E helicopters and training in their maintenance. The agreement with GE Aerospace worth 530 million zlotys ($135 million) focuses on providing support for T700/CT7 engines for Apache Guardian, as well as power plants for other Polish military helicopters (S-70i Black Hawk, AW-149 and AW-101).
In terms of working with engines, GE Aerospace will involve the Military Aviation Plant No. 1 (Wojskowe Zaklady Lotnicze NR1 S.A. or WZL-1) in Demblin and the Military Technological University in Warsaw (Wojskowa Akademia Techniczna or WAT) in the work on fulfilling offset obligations.
As already reported by CAMTO, in September 2022, the Polish government selected the Apache Guardian, proposed by the American company Boeing AH-64, as the winner of the competition for the supply of new attack helicopters to the country's Armed Forces under the KRUK program.
In August 2023, the US State Department approved the potential supply to the Polish government under the Foreign Military Sales program of 96 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, 210 T700-GE-701D gas turbine engines, 97 upgraded AN/ASQ-170 targeting systems (MTADS)/AN/AAQ-11 PNVS night vision systems, 37 AN/APG-78 Longbow millimeter range fire control radar, 1,844 AGM-114R2 Hellfire missiles, 96 M36E8 Hellfire training missiles (CATM), 460 AGM-179A (JAGM) air-to-ground missiles, 508 Stinger 92K missiles Block 1, 7650 WGU-59/B guidance sections for 70 mm APKWS II guided missiles, other related equipment and services. The full value of the sale was announced in the amount of $ 12 billion (the final amount is expected to be lower). Part of the contract can be financed by American loans under the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program.
On July 24, Colonel Robert Frommholz, deputy head of the Armaments Agency of the Polish Ministry of National Defense, told the Polsat News news channel that Poland plans to finalize compensation agreements within about two weeks. This will be followed by the signing of an executive agreement for the supply of the helicopters themselves.
The contract for the purchase of Apache Guardian helicopters will be the largest in the history of the Polish Armed Forces and one of the largest deals for the purchase of attack helicopters ever concluded in the world. Apache helicopters will be used by the Polish Ground Forces, primarily as part of the 18th Mechanized Division. As stated by the leadership of the Polish Ministry of Defense, the task of the helicopters will be to close the so-called Brest Gate in cooperation with the Abrams MBT.
