On Tuesday, June 17, 2025, at the 1st Army Aviation Brigade (Latkowo Airfield) in Inowrocław, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz took part in the reception of the first of eight Boeing AH-64D Apache attack helicopters being added to the equipment of the Polish Armed Forces under a leasing agreement.
Photo: Polish Ministry Of National Defence
“We are rapidly carrying out the modernization and transformation of the Polish Armed Forces. The contract we signed on August 13, 2024, on the eve of Polish Armed Forces Day, is being implemented. This is one of the fastest-executed military modernization contracts in the history of the Polish Armed Forces — the purchase of 96 Apache helicopters. A major investment combined with an offset program, strengthening our military facilities, which will service, upgrade, and maintain these helicopters,” said Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz in Inowrocław.
“We decided to purchase 96 Apache helicopters because Poland is a frontline state, and it faces a threat from the East. This threat is serious, and we must respond quickly. We complemented this purchase with the lease of 8 Apaches to train and prepare as many pilots as possible in the coming years. That also includes ground personnel, who will be ready to service all 96 combat helicopters we have acquired. In doing so, we are fulfilling our allied commitments. (…) Today we are presenting a version primarily intended for training, but the final version – the E variant – is equipped with the latest systems for monitoring, detection, target acquisition, imaging, and information sharing across the entire combat formation that will be organized in this way. These helicopters will engage both air and ground targets. (…) The Apache helicopters will not only carry out their direct missions but will also relay information to Abrams tanks and F-35s. You could say, colloquially, that it’s all linked together in this system. This purchase is well thought out. It’s a major investment funded by Polish taxpayers, to whom I would like to express my sincere thanks,” said the Minister of National Defence.
On August 13, 2024, an agreement was signed with the United States for the delivery of 96 AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters, along with a logistics and training package (Record-breaking deal for 96 AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopters for Poland). As part of an additional lease agreement, the United States will provide AH-64D Apache helicopters to the Polish Armed Forces for training purposes. Acquiring these aircraft will enable Polish personnel to gain the necessary capabilities ahead of the introduction of the new AH-64E helicopters into service.
“We are purchasing the best equipment. This is also an investment in our security. That is why we want to establish joint venture companies that will invest in Ukraine. That is why we want to and will always cooperate closely with the United States. This is our brotherhood, this is our solidarity. (…) We are giving as much as we possibly can—Polish taxpayers, Polish soldiers. We are a loyal ally. We stood together on missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. When American soldiers found themselves in a difficult situation in Lithuania, Poland was the first to offer help. And it will always be that way. I want to assure you of that. I want to assure our allies, the soldiers of the United States Army, of the brotherhood they share with the soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces. This is our commitment to future generations. We live in dangerous times—whether it’s the Middle East or Ukraine. For us, living in this part of Europe and the world, the awareness of threats is greater than in other countries. Because we know what the Russian Federation is. We know what the Soviet Union was. We have experienced aggression, we have experienced oppression, we have experienced barbarity. And we know how to counter it. United in alliance, with a strong society and the best-equipped army—these are the three pillars of a secure Poland,” emphasized the Deputy Prime Minister.
The first AH-64D attack helicopters will be delivered to subunits of the 1st Army Aviation Brigade, where training of flight, technical, and support personnel will begin in Poland. This process will involve Polish instructor staff who have already completed a training cycle in the United States. The AH-64E Apache attack helicopters will provide the Army Aviation with new capabilities in target engagement and reconnaissance. This entire initiative marks a historic transformation in the modernization and development of the helicopter aviation branch of the Polish Armed Forces, making Poland the second-largest operator of this type of helicopter in the world—after the United States.
Let us recall that on May 5, 2023, then-Minister of National Defence Mariusz Błaszczak, during a visit to the United States, announced that the U.S. side had confirmed it would lease eight AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters to Poland from U.S. Army stockpiles for the duration of the future contract. On July 21, the minister announced the launch of a training cycle in the United States, which began on August 25 of the same year, based on a training agreement signed by the Air Force Inspectorate. The first group of Polish pilots and engineers will form the future instructor cadre (Polish Ministry Of National Defence: Senior NCOs to join the ranks of military helicopter pilots).
On November 17, 2023, the General Command of the Polish Armed Forces announced that Polish pilots from the 1st Army Aviation Brigade in Inowrocław had completed their first training flights on the AH-64E at Fort Novosel in Alabama, USA.
On January 8 of this year, the American company GE Aerospace (a subsidiary of General Electric) announced that it had received an order to produce 210 T700-GE-701D turboshaft engines for Poland’s rotorcraft. On June 6, Lockheed Martin received an order to supply the M-TADS/PNVS Arrowhead electro-optical targeting system, which offers improved resolution and accuracy.
Śmigłowce AH 64D Apache są już w Polsce! Więcej powiemy już jutro o 9:00 w Inowrocławiu 😎 pic.twitter.com/7Q6dgACpsL
— Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (@KosiniakKamysz) June 16, 2025
Śmigłowce AH-64D #Apache dotarły już do Polski 🇵🇱! pic.twitter.com/OYtEpScaf4
— Dowództwo Generalne (@DGeneralneRSZ) June 16, 2025
Wicepremier W. @KosiniakKamysz: Ten zakup i leasing śmigłowców #Apache jest przemyślany. Zakup śmigłowców odpowiada naszym zobowiązaniom m. in. przy ochronie wschodniej flanki #NATO. (…) mamy już przeszkolonych 22 pilotów i bardzo za to dziękuję stronie amerykańskiej. Mamy… pic.twitter.com/8hjAl8MoPM
— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) June 17, 2025
Wicepremier W. @KosiniakKamysz: zakup śmigłowców #Apache to wielka inwestycja w #WojskoPolskie i bezpieczeństwo. pic.twitter.com/nzma8YQDVj
— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) June 17, 2025
Na wyposażeniu 1 Brygady Lotnictwa Wojsk Lądowych 🇵🇱są już śmigłowce AH-64D #Apache 🇺🇸w ramach umowy leasingowej. Pozyskanie tych maszyn pozwoli na uzyskanie niezbędnych zdolności operacyjnych przez lotnictwo wojsk lądowych do czasu wdrożenia do służby nowych śmigłowców w… pic.twitter.com/noFsXSv4GK
— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) June 17, 2025
Wicepremier W. @KosiniakKamysz: Polska odpowiada na wyzwania dotyczące bezpieczeństwa. Dziękuję dziś wszystkim, dzięki którym #WojskoPolskie ma najnowocześniejszy sprzęt #Apache. pic.twitter.com/eBDIVfWg0r
— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) June 17, 2025
Wicepremier W. @KosiniakKamysz: zakup śmigłowców #Apache to wielka inwestycja połączona z offsetem, wzmocnieniem naszych wojskowych zakładów, które będą je serwisować, będą modernizować, będą obsługiwać. Zarówno zakłady w Łodzi i w Dęblinie będą korzystać z offsetowego wsparcia.… pic.twitter.com/1m0K8bs5xS
— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) June 17, 2025
Wicepremier W. @KosiniakKamysz: Zdecydowaliśmy się na zakup 96 #Apache, dlatego że Polska jest państwem frontowym. Polska jest zagrożona ze wschodu. To zagrożenie jest poważne, musimy na to szybko reagować. Uzupełniliśmy ten zakup o leasing 8 #Apache, żeby w ciągu najbliższych… pic.twitter.com/YFfSLp6MTM
— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) June 17, 2025
Pierwsze śmigłowce AH-64D Apache już w Polsce! To ważny krok w kierunku wzmocnienia #WojskoPolskie. Docelowo otrzymamy 96 najnowocześniejszych AH-64E – najwięcej po 🇺🇸 To nie tylko modernizacja – to realna zmiana pozycji Polski w NATO. Stajemy się kluczowym filarem bezpieczeństwa… pic.twitter.com/DjHzzxDQck
— Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (@KosiniakKamysz) June 17, 2025