The Indian Army is going to bolster its combat capabilities near the Pakistan border in the western desert as it is going to deploy its six Apache attack helicopters at a military station in Jodhpur.
Apache Attack Helicopters Near Pakistan Border
“The first of the choppers is expected to start arriving from the US in February-March timeframe at the Hindan air base as scheduled in the contract. The choppers would then be deployed at a military station in Jodhpur for operations,” military officials. The Indian Air Force already has a fleet of 22 Apache helicopters deployed at both western and northern borders and the Army inductions would take the joint inventory to 28.
We have already trained more than 50 of our pilots and technicians at the American facilities as per the contract with the Americans. We would be able to operationalise the fleet in a very short time, they said. The original equipment manufacturer Boeing announced in August last year that it had started the production of Apache Helicopters for the Indian Army at its state-of-art facility in the US.
The production process builds upon an ongoing collaboration with Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited which plays a pivotal role in the manufacturing of AH-64E fuselages at its cutting-edge facility in Hyderabad.
Boeing AH-64 Apache
Manufacturers: Boeing Co, McDonnell Douglas
Engine type: Turboshaft
Range: 476 km
Top speed: 293 km/h
Number of seats: 2
Weight: 5,165 kg
