Poland signs Apache servicing deal to improve combat capacity, PM says
Poland will be better prepared to repel modern battlefield threats thanks to US-made Apache helicopters to be serviced domestically, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said after the signing of an agreement between Military Aviation Works WZL 1 and Lockheed Martin.
The deal struck on Monday in Lodz, central Poland, concerns servicing 96 AH-64E Guardian Apache helicopters ordered by Poland from the US under a broader contract signed in August 2024, worth approximately USD 10.8 billion and including offset commitments.
Tusk said the purchase was "a great opportunity, not only for our defence, but also for these facilities," adding that it was one of the largest contracts between Poland and the United States.
"Thanks to the American Apaches that will be serviced here in Poland, Poland will be prepared to repel attacks on the modern battlefield and respond to contemporary threats," Tusk said.
"Our task is to safeguard Polish security and Polish interests. That is why we negotiate firmly and why the offset has become a reality, not an illusion," he said, adding that the contract would allow Polish industry to acquire new competences.
Tusk also said that "true allied relations are built on truth and mutual interest," denying there was any conflict of interests among NATO states. "Here in Poland we truly know who is an ally."
Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said the agreement marked "an extraordinary moment” for the Lodz facility, which would gain the capability to service Apaches and other helicopters used by the Polish army.
"Ninety-six Apaches will constitute the second largest fleet of American-made combat helicopters in the world, after the United States," he said.
He added that the investment reflected the development strategy of the Polish armed forces and said that "one cannot organise large land forces without proper air support." (PAP)
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