After a delay of nearly 15 months, the Indian Army received its first batch of Apache attack helicopters. The choppers arrived in an Antonov transport aircraft at the Hindon Air Force Station, here on Tuesday.
The three machines will be deployed with the Jodhpur based Army Aviation Units. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Indian Army wrote, “Indian Army inducts #Apache. Milestone moment for Indian Army as the first batch of Apache helicopters for Army Aviation arrive today in India. These state-of-the-art platforms will bolster the operational capabilities of the #IndianArmy significantly.”
In a $600-million deal signed with the United States in 2020, India had sought six additional Apache helicopters for the Indian Army. Earlier, both the countries had signed a contract in 2015 to purchase 22 helicopters for the Indian Air Force. The remaining three Apaches are expected to be delivered by the end of this year.
The AH‑64E Apache, designed and manufactured by US-based Boeing, the helicopter is widely considered among the most advanced attack helicopters in service built for highly precise strikes in hostile combat zones, owing to its modern avionics, a powerful weapons suite, and robust survivability systems.
Equipped with a powerful 30 mm chain gun, the Apache is built to handle intense combat situations. It also carries Hellfire missiles that use laser and radar guidance to hit targets with pinpoint accuracy, along with rocket pods that can take on several ground threats at once.
After serving actively in world’s militaries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Egypt, the bird now comes to bolster India’s defence fleet.