The head of the Ministry of Defence, Mariusz Blaszczak, has signed the first of the agreements prior to the purchase of Apache attack helicopters for the Polish army. The offset agreement provides for servicing of, among other things, radars and guidance systems. Subsequent agreements are to include the possibility of servicing engines for Apache in Poland.

In the US Mesa, the head of the Ministry of Defence, Mariusz Błaszczak, signed the first of the preliminary agreements prior to the acquisition of Apache helicopters for the Polish army. This is an offset agreement under which a service centre for key parts of the helicopters, including radars and Hellfire missile guidance systems, will be established at Wojskowy Zakłady Lotnicze No. 1 in Łódź.

“These are key components for the effectiveness of those machines. This is the first of a whole series of offset agreements, to be signed due to Polish law. Poland is in the process of negotiating the specific conditions for the acquisition of 96 Apache attack helicopters. We estimate to sign the main contract later this year”, said the minister during a press briefing at the Boeing plant.

The head of the Ministry of Defence also announced that further offset agreements would soon be signed; in the next few days one with General Electric for servicing the engines of the helicopters – the same engines are used in the Augusta-Westland AW101 and AW149 helicopters from Świdnik purchased by Poland – and another with Boeing concerning the maintenance, repair and servicing of the machines themselves.

Manufactured by Boeing, AH-64E Apache helicopters are the primary attack helicopters used by the US Army. The design has been in continuous development for 40 years. The Apache were used, among others, during Operation „Just Cause” in Panama as their baptism of fire, and also during the 1991 Gulf War, where they destroyed a large proportion of Iraqi combat vehicles. Outside the US, they are used by the UK, Israel, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, among others.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński