According to the US State Department, Poland has requested to buy 96 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters together with equipment such as 1,844 AGM-114R2 Hellfire missiles, 460 AGM-179A Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles (JAGM) and 508 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The planned deal "will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe," the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on Monday.
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 in a statement.
It added that "Poland will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces."
Under US law, the deal has yet to be approved by Congress.
Poland's Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak has said that the purchase will strengthen his country's air defence capabilities.
"The US State Department has approved the sale of 96 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to Poland," Błaszczak said in a social media post on Monday.
He added: "In accordance with my arrangements with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, until the procedures are completed and the purchased helicopters are delivered to Poland, the US Army will provide us with Apache helicopters from its own stocks."
Błaszczak told reporters in May that the United States would provide Poland with eight Apache helicopters from its own stocks to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, until Warsaw buys its own machines.
The US Congress earlier this year cleared the sale of 800 Hellfire missiles to Poland.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
Tuesday is day 545 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, dsca.mil
