Considering the choice between the AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopter and the Bell AH-1Z Viper, apparently not only experienced by the Philippines. Before Pinoy Country decided to acquire the Turkish T129 ATAK attack helicopter, the choice had come from Washington, although in the end the Philippines rejected the offer because the purchase price was considered too expensive for the Philippines' pocket. And recently there was news, that Poland is now getting the same offer as the Philippines.
In the middle of getting extra attention due to the impact of the Russia vs Ukraine conflict, Poland is currently getting bid options, namely the AH-64E Apache Guardian from Boeing and the Bell AH-1Z Viper from Bell Textron.
Quoted from Janes.com (22/4/2022), it is stated that two types of attack helicopters have been nominated to meet the requirements of the Polish Ministry of Defense Kruk (Raven) to replace the aging Mil Mi-24 Hind helicopter.
“We have two bids for attack helicopters – one from Boeing and [one from] Bell. We will choose the best offer. We want such weapons to be put on equipment as soon as possible," Defense Minister Mariusz BÅ‚aszczak said.
As a former Warsaw Pact country, Poland is still dominant in using Soviet/Russian-era weapons standards. However, along with the dynamics, where Poland is now a member of NATO and is at odds with Russia, there is a strong effort from Poland to change the standard of weapons from ex-Soviet to NATO standards.
Apart from the attack helicopter line, Poland is currently recapitalizing the replacement of multi-purpose helicopters. Namely with the purchase of the Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk for elite troops, where the S-70i will replace the aging Mil Mi-8/17 helicopter.
For information, the S-70i Black Hawk is a production of PZL (Polskie Zaklady Lotnicze) Mielec, a subsidiary of the Sikorsky Company (Lockheed Martin Company) located in Poland. All orders for the S-70i are assembled in Poland, but the airframe is still made in the United States.
As an illustration, 70 percent of the production process of the S-70i is made in Poland, the remaining 30 percent in the United States. While the composition of the UH-60M 60 percent of the production process is made in the US, and the remaining 40 percent in Poland. One of the users of the S-70i in Southeast Asia is the Philippines.
On the anti-submarine helicopter platform, Poland has selected the Leonardo AW101 Merlin to replace the Mil Mi-14 Haze helicopter.
Returning to the competition for the AH-64E Apache Guardian and Bell AH-1Z Viper, Poland's decision will largely depend on the payment system option and the type of package offered, usually the package includes spare parts, engines, support equipment and maintenance management.
Poland's position which is directly adjacent to Ukraine, is believed to provide its own advantages, where Poland will have easier access to new weapons, because the country is also potentially affected by attacks from Russia.
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