<p>New Delhi: After a year of delay, the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/indian-army">Indian Army </a>on Tuesday received the first three Apache 64E armed helicopters, which will boost the force’s firepower near the India-Pakistan border.</p><p>The choppers – manufactured by Boeing and fitted with Hellfire air-to-ground missiles, Stinger air-to-air missiles, 70 mm Hydra rockets and 30 mm automatic cannons – will be based at Jodhpur where the Army Aviation Corps has raised a squadron 15 months ago.</p>.SMPP bags Rs 300 cr orders from Indian Army.<p>Painted in desert colours, the three rotary-wing aircraft that reached Hindon Air Force Station is a part of over Rs 5,000 crore deal that India had signed with the USA to buy six such choppers for the army. The remaining three are likely to arrive by 2025 end.</p><p>“This is a milestone moment for Indian Army as the first batch of Apache helicopters for Army Aviation Corps arrive today. These state-of-the-art platforms will bolster the army’s operational capabilities significantly,” the force said in a social media post.</p>.<p>The helicopters have fire control radar with 360 degrees coverage, nose mounted sensor suits for target acquisition and night vision.</p><p>The Apaches were to be supplied between February and June last year, but the delivery was delayed by a year, sources said.</p><p>In 2020, Boeing completed delivery of 22 E-model Apaches to the Indian Air Force and signed a contract to supply six AH-64Es for the Indian Army. The IAF helicopters – based at Pathankot and Jorhat - are identical to the army versions.</p><p>The AH-64 Apache is one of the world's most advanced multi-role combat helicopters and is flown by the US Army, which has ordered more than 600 of these choppers from Boeing.</p><p>The US has also supplied gunships to Egypt, Greece, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, The Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.</p><p>The Army Aviation Corps – often described as the Indian Army’s mini air force – primarily flies weaponised versions of Advanced Lightweight Helicopters (Rudra) besides the ageing Cheetahs and Chetaks.</p><p>The corps has begun inducting indigenous Prachand Light Combat Helicopters and has plans to procure 90 of them over the years.</p>
<p>New Delhi: After a year of delay, the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/indian-army">Indian Army </a>on Tuesday received the first three Apache 64E armed helicopters, which will boost the force’s firepower near the India-Pakistan border.</p><p>The choppers – manufactured by Boeing and fitted with Hellfire air-to-ground missiles, Stinger air-to-air missiles, 70 mm Hydra rockets and 30 mm automatic cannons – will be based at Jodhpur where the Army Aviation Corps has raised a squadron 15 months ago.</p>.SMPP bags Rs 300 cr orders from Indian Army.<p>Painted in desert colours, the three rotary-wing aircraft that reached Hindon Air Force Station is a part of over Rs 5,000 crore deal that India had signed with the USA to buy six such choppers for the army. The remaining three are likely to arrive by 2025 end.</p><p>“This is a milestone moment for Indian Army as the first batch of Apache helicopters for Army Aviation Corps arrive today. These state-of-the-art platforms will bolster the army’s operational capabilities significantly,” the force said in a social media post.</p>.<p>The helicopters have fire control radar with 360 degrees coverage, nose mounted sensor suits for target acquisition and night vision.</p><p>The Apaches were to be supplied between February and June last year, but the delivery was delayed by a year, sources said.</p><p>In 2020, Boeing completed delivery of 22 E-model Apaches to the Indian Air Force and signed a contract to supply six AH-64Es for the Indian Army. The IAF helicopters – based at Pathankot and Jorhat - are identical to the army versions.</p><p>The AH-64 Apache is one of the world's most advanced multi-role combat helicopters and is flown by the US Army, which has ordered more than 600 of these choppers from Boeing.</p><p>The US has also supplied gunships to Egypt, Greece, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, The Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.</p><p>The Army Aviation Corps – often described as the Indian Army’s mini air force – primarily flies weaponised versions of Advanced Lightweight Helicopters (Rudra) besides the ageing Cheetahs and Chetaks.</p><p>The corps has begun inducting indigenous Prachand Light Combat Helicopters and has plans to procure 90 of them over the years.</p>
