India set to receive first consignment of Apache helicopters from US by next week: Reports

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, July 16, 2025: India is slated to receive the first consignment of modern Apache attack helicopters from the United States as soon as next week, The New Indian Express reported.

The development would serve as a big boost to the offensive capability and reconnaissance operations of the Indian Army’s Aviation Corps (AAC).

 

The report quoted sources and suggested the helicopters are expected to arrive by next Monday (July 21).

The helicopters will be deployed along the western border, where troop presence has grown recently in the wake of the ‘Operation Sindoor’.

Earlier this month, sources had confirmed that the first batch of three out of the six Apache helicopters was likely to be delivered to the Indian Army before the end of July.

Officials had also expressed hope that the remaining three units of the Boeing AH‑64E Apache helicopters would arrive in India in the next few months, before the end of 2025.

In March last year, the Army Aviation Corps signed a contract for 25 new ALH helicopters.

The Ministry signed two contracts for a combined value of Rs 8073.17 crore for the acquisition of 34 Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) Dhruv Mk III for the Indian Army (25 ALHs) and Indian Coast Guard (09 ALHs), marking a significant move towards indigenisation in defence manufacturing.

The Indian Army’s Army Aviation Corps raised its first squadron of Apache attack helicopters in Jodhpur on March 15.

Later, the Indian Army signed a contract to acquire six Apache helicopters from the US. However, the delivery of the choppers missed two deadlines.

The first batch of choppers was expected to be delivered by June 2024. However, the timeline was pushed to December that year due to supply chain issues.

The Indian Air Force already operates the Apache helicopters, a deal for which was signed in 2015, and all 22 AH-64E Apache helicopters have been delivered by 2020 and are operational in the forces.