Turkey’s Airspace Denial Delays India’s Apache Helicopter Delivery
The delivery of the remaining three Apache attack helicopters to the Indian Army has been unexpectedly delayed after Turkey refused to grant airspace clearance to the transport aircraft carrying them. Earlier this month, the Antonov cargo aircraft transporting the helicopters from the United States made a scheduled stop in the United Kingdom for refuelling. However, the journey could not continue as Turkey denied permission for the aircraft to enter its airspace. After waiting for nearly eight days, the aircraft was eventually forced to return to the US.
The setback comes after Boeing successfully delivered the first batch of three Apache helicopters to the Indian Army in July. The Army’s helicopters are part of a follow-on order after Boeing completed delivery of 22 E-model Apaches to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2020. These aircraft were supplied under a multi-billion-dollar contract signed in September 2015 between the IAF, the US government, and Boeing.
In 2017, the Ministry of Defence approved the procurement of six additional AH-64E helicopters for the Indian Army, including their weapons systems, at a cost of ₹4,168 crore. Delivery for this batch was originally scheduled to begin in 2024, but the recent airspace denial has created an unforeseen delay.
