Poland receives final leased AH-64D as preparations for AH-64E continue

Poland received the last of eight leased Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters from the US on 10 March. (Polish Ministry of National Defence)

Poland has received the last of eight Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters it has leased from the United States, as it continues its preparations for the arrival of the latest AH-64E Apache Guardian.

Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced the milestone on 10 March, saying that the final former US Army AH-64D had arrived in-country as the Polish armed forces better acquaint their air and ground crews with the new type.

“The eighth [and] last of the AH-64D helicopters leased from the US is already in Poland. This is important news for the [Polish armed forces], and our security. Pilot and crew training is proceeding according to the planned schedule. Thanks to this, we will be ready to receive the 96 [AH-64E] helicopters purchased from the US, and to use them in building our deterrence and defence capabilities,” the minister said. With the leased AH-64Ds, Poland has already begun training programmes for pilots, focusing on flight operations and weapons management.

The Apache is a massive leap forward in terms of technology and capabilities for Poland. Previously, the country fielded the Warsaw Pact-era Mi-24 ‘Hind', which had a maximum stand-off range of about 4 km with its unguided rockets. By contrast, the AH-64E will be able to carry the Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire missile with its 8 km range (extended to 16 km with the AH-64E's Version 6 software) and the Rafael Spike Non-Line of Sight (NLOS) missile, which has a stand-off range of 50 km (it was recently demonstrated out to 30 km due to range limitations off the coast of Poland in 2025).