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The U.S. government has agreed to the sale of Apache helicopters and related equipment worth $12 billion to Poland’s military, the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said Monday.
Following the launch of Russia’s all-out war on Ukraine last year, Poland’s Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said Warsaw intended to procure Apache helicopters to beef up its deterrence.
But any foreign sale of military equipment from U.S. contractors needs to be notified in advance to Congress by the DSCA, a process that is now complete for the potential Apache sale.
Until the Boeing-made helicopters are ready, Błaszczak said on social media late Monday that the U.S. army had agreed to supply existing aircraft from its own resources in the meantime.
According to the DSCA’s notification, in addition to the sale of 96 Apache attack helicopters the deal also includes missiles, ammunition, guidance systems, night vision sensors and access to U.S. training staff amongst the listed assistance.
“The proposed sale will improve Poland’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing a credible force that is capable of deterring adversaries and participating in NATO operations,” the DSCA said.
Poland has been a critical front-line conduit for the transfer of Western armaments to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion started last year, while Warsaw is raising its military spending to four percent of GDP, well above NATO’s target of two percent.
The Polish government had previously signed a multi-billion dollar deal to buy Abrams battle tanks from the U.S.
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