Poland will obtain the competence to independently maintain and overhaul U.S. AH-64E Apache attack helicopters.

The news was published on the official website of the Polish Armed Forces Armament Agency.

On August 5, the Polish Ministry of Defense and the Arms Agency signed two offset agreements to develop national capabilities in the field of support, repair, and maintenance of key components of AH-64E helicopters.

The signed agreements are one of the conditions for Poland’s $12 billion contract for the purchase of helicopters and related equipment.

The subject of the first offset agreement concluded between the Armament Agency and Boeing is the fulfillment of seven obligations with a total value of more than $100 million.

As part of this contract, the Polish aircraft plant WZL-1 in Łódź will be authorized to inspect, repair, and overhaul selected AH-64E components.

In addition, Poland will be capable of independently training AH-64E maintenance personnel and assessing the condition of the helicopter’s ground infrastructure.

The second agreement, worth more than $135 million, concluded between the Armaments Agency and GE Aerospace will provide competencies for the maintenance of turboprop engines at the facilities of the WZL-1 aircraft plant in Dęblin.

GE Aerospace will transfer the necessary technologies to enable the plant to perform maintenance and repair on the T-700-701D, CT7-2E1, and CT7-8E engines.

These engines are also used in other helicopters in service with the Polish Armed Forces, such as the AW101, AW149, or S-70i Black Hawk.

Last September, the Polish Minister of Defense signed another agreement with Lockheed Martin to establish local services. It will allow the WZL-1 aircraft plant in Łódź to service Longbow radars and Hellfire missile guidance systems.

The agreements will result in the development of the potential of the WZL-1 aircraft plant in Łódź and its branch in Dęblin, which will allow the plant to retain its competencies and move from servicing and repairing post-Soviet equipment to supporting modern NATO-standard equipment.