US approves deal to sale of AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to India

On June 12, the United States government has approved a deal to sell the Indian military six AH-64E Apache attack helicopters for $930 million. The agreement has been passed to the US Congress for approval and if no US lawmaker raises an objection, the contract will go ahead. Boeing and Indian partner Tata have begun to produce Apache fuselages at a plant in India, but the latest approval concerns a direct sale of finished products from the US manufacturers. In addition to aircraft, the contract includes night vision sensors, GPS guidance and hundreds of Hellfire anti-armour and Stinger air-to-air missiles. The lead contractors are US arms, aviations and engineering giants Lockheed Martin, General Electric and Raytheon.