Israel signs a $1 billion deal to buy 12 advanced Apache attack helicopters from the US

Israel's Defence Ministry has signed a Pentagon agreement to purchase 12 Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopters, the most advanced variant of the attack helicopter, in a deal reportedly worth around $1 billion. The agreement was finalised after months of wrangling between Israel's Defence and Finance ministries over a funding shortfall of roughly $288 million. Deliveries are not expected to begin until the early 2030s.

Although the US extended its ordering deadline three times, Israel still failed to meet the final cutoff last week, nearly causing the deal to collapse entirely.

Defence Minister Israel Katz described the Apache purchase as 'a critical step in the IDF's force buildup' and said it would strengthen Israel's capacity to meet threats down the line.

The purchase reflects a lesson drawn directly from the October 7, 2023 Hamas assault, during which Israeli forces were unable to deploy quickly enough across the numerous fronts that came under attack simultaneously.