US approves potential sale of 29 AH-64E Apache attack helos to Australia

The US Department of State has approved a potential USD3.5 billion Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Australia of 29 Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters along with related equipment and services.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 3 June that Canberra has requested to buy the rotorcraft, along with 64 T700-GE 701D engines (58 installed, 6 spares); 29 AN/ASQ-170 Modernized Target Acquisition and Designation Sight/AN/AAR-11 Modernized Pilot Night Vision Sensors (M-TADS/PNVS); 16 AN/APG-78 fire-control radars with radar electronic units; 29 AN/APR-48B Modernized Radar Frequency Interferometers (MRFI); 70 embedded global positioning systems with inertial navigation systems plus multimode receiver (EGI+MMR) (58 installed, 12 spares); 35 AAR-57 Common Missile Warning Systems (CMWS) (29 installed, 6 spares), and 70 AN/ARC-231A very-high frequency/ultra-high frequency (VHF/UHF) radios (58 installed, 12 spares).

A CGI showing two AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopters in Australian Army livery. The US State Department has approved a potential USD3.5 billion FMS to Australia of 29 AH-64Es along with related equipment and services. (Boeing Australia)

Also included in the proposed deal, which still needs to be approved by the US Congress, are 85 AGM-114R Hellfire missiles; 29 M36E8 Hellfire captive air training missiles; 2,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System Guidance Sections (APKWS-GSs); AN/APR-39 radar signal detecting sets; AN/AVR-2B laser detecting sets; AN/APX-123A identification friend-or-foe (IFF) transponders; IDM-401 Improved Data Modems; the Link-16 small tactical terminal KOR-24-A; the Improved Countermeasure Dispensing System (ICMD); AN/ARN-149 (V)3 automatic direction finders; ASN-157 Doppler Radar Velocity Sensors; AN/APN-209 Radar Altimeters Common Core (RACC); the AN/ARN-153 Tactical Air Navigation Set (TACAN), and the AN/PYQ-10(C) Simple Key Loader.