The first agreement provides for the establishment of an AH-64E Apache support center in Łódź, responsible for scheduled inspections and maintenance of the fleet that will be delivered to the Polish Armed Forces between 2028 and 2032.
The President of WZL-1 emphasized the strategic nature of the project: “Building the largest support infrastructure for Apache helicopters is a natural extension of our activities. This agreement will allow us to provide support to the Polish Armed Forces, significantly increasing their operational capabilities.“
An unexpectedly strong emphasis also appeared in a statement by Prime Minister Donald Tusk: “We are talking about the largest service center for these helicopters in Europe (…) which will support not only our Apache fleet, but will also play a key role for all our allies on the continent.“
Photo: Boeing
This raises the question of whether the center’s activities could eventually be expanded to support other NATO countries. In Europe, the AH-64E is currently operated by the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, while US Army units are deployed on the continent on a rotational basis. The future of Greece’s AH-64A/D fleet remains unresolved.
The second offset agreement, signed between Boeing and Wojskowe Centralne Biuro Konstrukcyjno-Technologiczne S.A. (WCBKT), concerns an assessment of the compatibility of Polish ground support equipment (GSE) with the AH-64E. This includes LUZES ground power units, which have already been used on several occasions during Apache presentations at MSPO. If the tests are successful, Polish solutions could be incorporated into the standard Apache support package, both in Poland and potentially on export markets.
Dr. Roman Fiszer, President of WCBKT S.A., emphasized: “The signing of the implementation agreement with Boeing is an important step toward increasing the participation of the Polish defense industry in the AH-64E Apache support program. (…) We believe that WCBKT S.A.’s expertise and the quality of our solutions will allow us to effectively support helicopter operations with modern ground support equipment.”
Poland ordered 96 AH-64E Apache helicopters through the FMS procedure. The entire package, including weapons, training, logistics, and support, was valued at approximately 10 billion USD net.
Delivery schedule (2028–2032):
2028: 15 aircraft
2029: 20 aircraft
2030: 32 aircraft
2031: 21 aircraft
2032: 8 aircraft
Such a large fleet, the largest in Europe, requires extensive maintenance and logistics infrastructure. The offset agreements are the first step toward establishing a comprehensive Apache support ecosystem in Poland, covering both helicopter maintenance and the integration of domestically produced GSE. It is one of the most ambitious projects in the history of the Polish aviation industry and the first that could realistically turn Poland into a regional hub for supporting advanced attack helicopters.