New Delhi : US Aerospace company Boeing on Saturday said that the first four of 22 AH-64E Apaches helicopters ordered by India had been received by the Indian Air Force at the Hindon Station near New Delhi.
An additional four Apaches will arrive in the coming week, and the eight will then move to the Pathankot Air Force Station in Jammu and Kashmir for their formal induction by the IAF, in September, the company said in a statement.
The Apache is a stealthy, versatile machine, designed for all kinds of missions. It comes equipped with laser and infrared systems for day and night operations and armed with air to surface Hellfire missiles, 70 mm rockets and an automatic cannon.
“The helicopter has been customized to suit IAF’s future requirements and would have significant capability in mountainous terrain. The helicopter has the capability to carry out precision attacks at standoff ranges and operate in hostile airspace with threats from the ground. The ability of these helicopters to transmit and receive the battlefield picture, to and from the weapon systems through data networking makes it a lethal acquisition,” the defence ministry had said in a statement in May.
The government had placed an order for 22 AH-64 E Apache helicopters as a part of a $1.4-billion deal that was signed in September 2015. This was in addition to an order for 15 CH-47F Chinook heavy lift choppers from Boeing.
