First Batch Of AH-64E Apache Gunships To Arrive In India On July 27

First consignment of India’s AH-64E Apache "customised" attack helicopters will arrive at Hindon Airbase in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh state on Saturday, July 27.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) formally received its first AH-64E at Boeing’s facility in Arizona, US on 10 May, 2019. Selected aircrew & ground crew have already undergone training at the training facilities at US Army base Fort Rucker, Alabama, the IAF had stated previously.

The first batch consisting of three to four choppers will be delivered to India onboard an Antonov AN-224 transport aircraft. Following final assembly and a series of user trials, the helicopters will be sent to Pathankot Air Base, near the India-Pakistan border, for a final induction into service, the Indian media reported on Saturday.

India and the US signed the nearly (INR 13,952 crore) $2 billion deal for 22 AH-64E choppers for the IAF in September 2015. Deliveries of all the aircraft are scheduled to be completed in 2020.

According to the Indian media, the defence ministry has additionally approved the procurement of six AH-64E Apache helicopters, armaments, and associated equipment from Boeing at a cost of INR 4,168 crore ($596 million) for the Army.

The AH-64Es, also known as Apaches, are helicopters that can carry AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 rocket pods. They have four blades and are rotary-winged.