On Tuesday, June 17, the Minister of National Defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, announced via a statement published on social media that Poland has received the first three of a fleet of eight AH-64D attack helicopters leased from the U.S. Army to train its future pilots who will operate the 96 AH-64E Apache units the country has acquired. The helicopters in question arrived at the 56th Air Base in Latkowo, located near the town of Inowrocław, where they were received by the minister himself and authorities from the Polish Armed Forces.
Quoting some statements from the minister: “The first AH-64D Apache helicopters are already in Poland! This is an important step in strengthening the Armed Forces. We will receive 96 state-of-the-art AH-64Es, the largest fleet after that of the United States. This is not just a modernization, but a real shift in Poland’s position within NATO. We are becoming a key pillar of security in the region.”
It is worth recalling that Poland signed the agreement granting access to these U.S. helicopters this past February, a decision that involved an investment of approximately 300 million dollars. This responds to the need to increase the number of trained personnel to operate the future 96 AH-64E helicopters that will be at the country’s disposal. The first batch, around 15 units, is expected to arrive on Polish territory by 2028, with subsequent deliveries to be made periodically by Boeing until the year 2032, with an overall investment of around 10 billion dollars.
It is also important to highlight that, as of now, Poland has a group of 20 pilots and 22 ground specialists already trained (in the U.S.) to operate this platform, who will, in turn, be responsible for passing on their knowledge to future generations of Polish personnel associated with these helicopters, alongside U.S. instructors. According to previous reports, Warsaw’s plans outline a roadmap in which, by the end of this year, another 20 pilots and 25 specialists will be trained, while next year aims to prepare an additional 50 pilots and 250 specialists.
*Cover image: @DGeneralneRSZ on X
You may also like: Poland postpones its plans to purchase 32 new S-70i Black Hawk helicopters to equip its Armed Forces
