The future The Apache has proven itself on many continents. From the European mainland to the sandy desert of Mali and from the Iraqi heat to the vast training grounds in Texas. Dutch politicians are aware of the quality of the aircraft and the decent choice made by the Dutch House of Representative in the spring of 1995. This was confirmed by a news release from the US Department of Defense’s Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA). On February the 20th the DSCA confirmed “the approval of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Netherlands of items and services to support the remanufacture of AH64D Blok II Apache attack helicopters to the AH-64E configuration”. The deal can be closed for an estimated price of $ 1,191 billion with all twenty-eight helicopters still operational, fifty-one engines and many systems, receivers and sensors being upgraded. This deal is in line with the development of the RNLAF to become a ‘Fifth Generation Air Force’, in which the Apache seems to become indispensable for the Dutch armed forces and its allies, in the Netherlands and abroad. The Dutch Defense White Paper of 2018 writes the remanufacture of the Apache is planned from 2022 onwards. However, the deal has yet to be closed.
58
SCANDINAVIAN AVIATION MAGAZINE