US sells 12 billion in Apache helicopters to Poland
The United States on Monday approved a $12 billion sale of Apache attack helicopters to Poland, a mammoth deal with a frontline ally backing Ukraine in its war against a Russian invasion.
Most likely the 18 Mil Mi 24 attack helicopters which, theoretically, should be in service with the Polish Armed Forces have already been donated to Ukraine or will be soon.
US helicopters are not the only effort to improve the army's flying team, given that 32 AW 149 multi-role helicopters have been ordered from Agusta Westland, which will act as attack and support as needed.
Poland will receive 96 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters from manufacturer Boeing, the State Department said in a notification to Congress on the green light for the sale.
Poland last year decided to deploy Apaches to replace its aging fleet of Soviet-era helicopters due to concerns over Russia's military action in neighboring Ukraine.
The sale "will enhance Poland's ability to deal with current and future threats by providing a credible force capable of deterring adversaries and participating in NATO operations," the State Department said in a statement.
Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak confirmed the purchase on social media, adding that "until the procedures are completed and the purchased helicopters are delivered to Poland, the US military will supply us with Apache helicopters from its own resources." .
Poland has strongly supported US-led efforts to shore up Ukraine against the Russian onslaught, with a large portion of the billions of dollars in US weapons supplied to Ukraine crossing the border through Poland.
Poland announced in January that it intends to spend 4% of its gross domestic product on defense this year, well above NATO's target of 2%.
In June, it received the first Abrams tanks as part of a $1.4 billion deal for combat vehicles formerly used by the US Marine Corps.
Last year, Poland bought another 250 Abrams in the more modern M1A2 variant, with delivery scheduled for the end of 2024. It will be the first country outside the United States to have the tanks.
The war in Ukraine solidified the relationship between the United States and Poland, whose conservative government had previously clashed with President Joe Biden's administration over issues such as LGBTQ rights and media freedom.
In the statement, the State Department called Poland "a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe".
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The article US sells 12 billion Apache helicopters to Poland comes from Scenarios Economics .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/gli-usa-vendono-12-miliardi-in-elicotteri-apache-alla-polonia/ on Tue, 22 Aug 2023 19:16:40 +0000.