The U.S. Dept. of Defense placed a $1.95-billion contract with Boeing Defense, Space, and Security for a total of 184 Apache AH-64E helicopters, for the U.S. Army and Foreign Military Sales customers. The award is a modification to an established, 2017 agreement for AH-64E production, bringing total funding to $2.1 billion, with potential to increase in value to $3.8 billion pending future obligations.
The U.S. Army will receive 115 remanufactured Apaches, with 15 more to be procured as options. The other 54 aircraft will be delivered to partner nations, reportedly Australia and Egypt.
Neither Boeing nor the Pentagon indicated the schedule for deliveries of the helicopters covered in the new order.
The AH-64 Apache is an attack helicopter powered by twin-turboshaft engines and armed with a 30-mm M230 artillery system, as well as facility for a mixture of missiles and rocket pods. The AH-64 was introduced in 1986, and the current version, AH-64E introduced in 2012, represents the sixth update to the basic design. It has a nose-mounted sensor package for target acquisition and night-vision systems.
“We are enhancing the U.S. Army’s attack fleet, while supporting additional partner nations and welcoming our newest Apache customer, the Australian Army,” stated Christina Upah, Boeing’s vice president of Attack Helicopter Programs.
