http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/02/21/Business/Business.21752.html
US to sell Israel nine Apache Longbow attack helicopters for
$500m.
By Arieh O'Sullivan
The Jerusalem Post
TEL AVIV (February 21) - Israel has signed a deal with the US
Department of Defense to purchase nine AH-64D Apache Longbow attack
helicopters manufactured by Boeing, it was announced yesterday.
The government's of both countries must approve the deal, since the
IAF will be paying for the $500 million deal with US military grant
money.
"Once government-to-government negotiations are completed through a
foreign military sales agreement, the US Army will contract with
Boeing for the Israeli aircraft and equipment," the Boeing statement
said.
The air force had originally wanted to upgrade a dozen of the Apache
helicopters already in its fleet. But when OC Air Force Maj.-Gen. Dan
Halutz was appointed last year, he reviewed the program and decided it
was a better deal to use the money to purchase eight of the advanced
Longbows.
The announcement raised that number to nine, but neither Boeing nor
the IAF would comment on the additional helicopter. News of the deal
came a week after Washington reportedly complained to Israel over the
use of Apache helicopters in a missile attack in the Gaza Strip which
killed a Hizbullah operative.
The IAF says it still maintains the option to upgrade 12 Apache
helicopters to Longbow level. The Apache Longbow is an advanced,
multi-mission attack helicopter and features fully integrated avionics
and weapons plus a state-of-the-art modem that transmits real-time,
secure, digitized battlefield information to air and ground forces.
The Apache Longbow is the world's only fourth-generation attack
helicopter and the only combat helicopter in service with the ability
to rapidly detect, classify, prioritize, and engage stationary or
moving enemy targets at standoff ranges in nearly all weather
conditions.
The total value of the program - including aircraft, ordnance, spares,
training, and support - is expected to approach $500 million, Boeing
said. Original costs for eight new Longbows were estimated at $440m.
The first Apache Longbow is expected to be delivered in 2004, air
force sources said, with the rest following over the next year. They
are expected to be armed with AGM-114K and Hellfire missiles.
