Boeing [BA] has received a $393.1 million Apache helicopter order from the U.S. Army that includes remanufacturing 16 of Kuwait’s AH-64D aircraft to the newer E-mode configuration.
The deal, officially announced on July 21, also includes five more remanufactured AH-64E Apaches for the U.S. Army as well delivering a Longbow weapons crew trainer to Kuwait and another for Egypt.
“The contract also included trainers, spare parts and additional support and sustainment features for several international customers,” a Boeing spokesperson told Defense Daily.
A spokesperson for the Army’s Program Executive Office-Aviation confirmed additional details of the new order, which they noted was placed under the new multi-year Apache procurement deal Boeing received in March.
The expected final multi-year deal for AH-64E Apaches, which covers helicopters for the U.S. Army and Foreign Military Sale (FMS) customers including Egypt, could be worth up to $3.8 billion if all options are picked up.
Boeing told Defense Daily at the time it “absolutely” believes there will be future procurement deals for the platform beyond the new multi-year award (Defense Daily, March 22).
“Absolutely. With Version 6.5 coming up as well as the Boeing Apache team continuing to develop the configuration of the Modernized Apache, we believe there will be future procurement deals for the AH-64,” a Boeing spokesperson said.
Army officials have previously stated the latest AH-64E Apache multi-year deal would likely be the last as the service’s shift its priority to buying the Future Vertical Lift fleet.
The Army’s Apache program office has said the new multi-year deal covers aircraft procurement over the next three fiscal years, adding in a statement to Defense Daily that “FY ‘25 is the last planned procurement of Apaches for the Army.”
Kathleen “KJ” Jolivette, Boeing Defense Space and Security’s vice president and general manager of vertical lift and previously the vice president of attack helicopters, told reporters last September, the company was “out to change [the Army’s] mind” about the next multi-year deal being the last for the platform (Defense Daily, Sept. 13 2022).
The State Department in January 2021 approved a potential $4 billion FMS case with Kuwait, which included the 16 remanufactured AH-64Ds to the E-mode configuration as well as eight new build AH-64E Apaches (Defense Daily, Jan. 4 2021).