The Government of Poland announced that Boeing’s AH-64 Apache has been selected for its KRUK Attack Helicopter programme. Boeing is honoured the Government of Poland has selected the AH-64E Apache for the Polish Armed Forces’ new attack helicopter fleet. An Apache selection strengthens US-Polish military ties by enhancing interoperability and cooperation between Poland, the US Army and NATO nations. During the procurement process, Boeing established significant cooperative partnerships across Polish government and industry. Boeing partnership with the Polish defence holding company Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) in particular will continue to expand as both companies implement training and sustainment efforts with local industry.
A few years back acquisition of the Kruk attack helicopters has been defined as one of the modernization priorities. The Mi-24 helicopters currently operated by the Polish military have no ATGMs at their disposal. They only utilize post-Soviet unguided missiles and gun pods, as well as .50-cal. machine gun mounted in the nose turret. This renders the platform in question incapable of fighting main battle tanks effectively. Poland changed its Kruk attack helicopter programme, with a handful of key decisions still to be made before a manufacturer can be selected to produce new aircraft. The Polish Ministry of National Defence (MND) had reset plans for its long-delayed Kruk attack helicopter programme.
The Polish Ministry of Defence has announced that the country is seeking to procure a total of 96 AH-64E Guardian V6 Apache attack helicopters for the KRUK programme. The Boeing AH-64E V6 Apache (Version 6) is the most modern configuration of the Apache attack helicopter and is ready for the Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) battlefield. A network-centric, fully integrated weapon system specifically built to dominate in highly contested and complex battle space, the Version 6 Apache includes multiple enhancements to the aircraft’s sensors, software and weapons performanc for interoperability within the ecosystem of Joint All Domain Operations (JADO).
The Boeing AH-64 Apache is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. It features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night vision systems. It is armed with a 30 mm (1.18 in) M230 chain gun and four hardpoints mounted on stub-wing pylons for carrying armament and stores, typically a mixture of AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 rocket pods. The U.S. Army is the primary operator of the AH-64. It has also become the primary attack helicopter of multiple nations, including Egypt, Greece, Japan, Israel, Indonesia, India, Kuwait, Morocco, the Netherlands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan (Republic of China), the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
