By SangeetaSaxena
New Delhi. 22 July 2025. It has been much awaited but most welcome news. The first batch of Apache attack helicopters for Indian Army has landed in India. Inside the Antonov cargo transporter the three helicopters arrived at Hindon Airforce Base in Ghaziabad and will be deployed at Jodhpur, enhancing the Indian Army’s operational capabilities in the region.
Indian Army initiated efforts to procure its own fleet of Apaches. In June 2018, the U.S. State Department approved a Foreign Military Sales package worth approximately $930 million for six AH-64Es and associated equipment. This was followed by a formal order in February 2020, with deliveries originally scheduled to begin in 2023. By early 2024, the Army Aviation Corps prepared for the arrival of its Apaches, intended to bolster battlefield support near tank formations when IAF support was unavailable. A new Army squadron, 451 Army Aviation Squadron, was formed in Jodhpur for Apache operations. However, deliveries were delayed multiple times due to supply chain disruptions.
As of mid-July 2025, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed that the first batch of three Apache helicopters for the Indian Army would be delivered by July 21, with the next set arriving in November. These helicopters are slated for deployment in anti-armour and air assault missions. The delivery delay pushed the actual handover of the first batch to the following week, and reports indicated the remaining three would be in India by the end of the year.
