Army finally gets the first 3 of the 6 Apache attack helicopters ordered from the US

NEW DELHI: The`tanks in the air’ for the Army are finally here. Three of the six long-delayed Apache AH-64 attack helicopters, contracted under the Rs 5,691 crore deal with the US in Feb 2020, arrived in India on Tuesday.

The three Apache gunships were transported on board a gigantic Antonov-124 aircraft to the Hindon airbase, on the outskirts of New Delhi, at 10 am. The heavy-duty choppers will now be flown to Jodhpur, where the Army had raised an Apache squadron in March last year to cater for the western front with Pakistan.

The next three Apaches, which are armed with Stinger air-to-air missiles, Hellfire Longbow air-to-ground missiles, guns and rockets, will be delivered by Nov, as earlier reported by TOI.

“The arrival of the first batch of the Apache helicopters for the Army is a significant step towards strengthening India’s defence capabilities. These advanced helicopters will enhance the Army Aviation Corps’ operational effectiveness, especially in challenging terrains,” defence minister Rajnath Singh said.

The six Apaches for the Army, which were delayed due to supply chain problems faced by Boeing, will add to the 22 such choppers inducted by IAF under the Rs 13,952 crore deal with the US in Sept 2015. One of those choppers was badly damaged after a hard landing near Khardung La in Ladakh on April 4 last year.

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“The Apaches are primarily meant to provide integrated combat aviation cover for the `strike corps’ of the Army,” the officer said. The Army and the IAF are also slated to induct 156 indigenous Prachand light combat helicopters, which are capable of offensive operations in high-altitude areas like Siachen Glacier and eastern Ladakh, under a mega Rs 62,700 crore contract inked with Hindustan Aeronautics in March. The Army will get 90 of them, the IAF 66.

The Army Aviation Corps (AAC) is slowly but steadily bolstering its strike, surveillance and airlift capabilities, with plans underway to also induct 126 light utility helicopters as well as additional Dhruv advanced light helicopters. The AAC is progressively setting up more integrated aviation brigades after the first three – two along the Line of Actual Control with China and one on the western front with Pakistan – came up earlier.