US Approves Sale of Apache Attack Choppers To India

AFP |Jun 13, 2018,

• The US government has approved a deal to sell 6 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters for $930 million to India.
• The contract includes night vision sensors, GPS guidance and hundreds of Hellfire anti-armor and Stinger air-to-air missiles.

Picture courtesy: Boeing website

WASHINGTON: The United States government has approved a deal to sell the Indian military six AH-64E Apache attack helicopters for $930 million, the State Department said on Tuesday.
The agreement has been passed to the US Congress for approval, but if no US lawmaker raises an objection the contract is expected to go ahead.

Boeing and Indian partner Tata have begun to produce Apache fuselages at a plant in India, but Tuesday’s approval concerns a direct sale of finished products from US manufacturers.
The lead contractors are US arms, aviations and engineering giants Lockheed Martin, General Electric and Raytheon.

In addition to aircraft, the contract includes night vision sensors, GPS guidance and hundreds of Hellfire anti-armor and Stinger air-to-air missiles.

“This support for the AH-64E will provide an increase in India’s defensive capability to counter ground-armored threats and modernize its armed forces,” the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said, in a statement.

“India will have no difficulty absorbing the helicopters and support equipment into its armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.”

Source: TOI

Earlier Report

In Sept. 2015, the Modi government had approved the first big ticket defence contract as it cleared the purchase of 22 Apache attack helicopters and 15 Chinook heavy lift helicopters worth around $2.5 billion.

Chinook

The acquisition was finalised by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) just a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US.

The negotiations on the two helicopter deals were spilled over from the UPA’s tenure. The offer for the helicopters manufactured by Boeing had already been given several extensions and it would have expired on September 30.

The IAF will replace its ageing fleet of Russia attack helicopters Mi-35 with AF-64E Apaches. The heavy lift Russian Mi-26’s will make way for CF-47 Chinooks, significantly scaling up IAF’s capabilities.

Source: Mail Today