Overview
- Delivery completes a 2020 contract for six helicopters valued at Rs 5,691 crore (about $600 million) after repeated schedule slips.
- The final trio arrived aboard an Antonov An-124, following an earlier attempt that was turned back when Turkey denied overflight clearance.
- After Joint Receipt Inspection and test sorties, the squadron will enhance strike and reconnaissance coverage along the western sector.
- The US Embassy described the transfer as a step forward in the US–India Major Defence Partnership, pointing to broader training and sustainment cooperation.
- The AH-64E is equipped with a 30 mm chain gun, Hellfire and Stinger missiles, and 70 mm rockets, complementing the Army’s Prachand LCH and the IAF’s Apache fleet.