Philippines has been cleared to buy AH-64E and AH-1Z but has no money to buy attack helicopters

Philippines has been cleared to buy AH-64E and AH-1Z but has no money to buy attack helicopters

By Dario Leone
May 14 2020
Share this article

Manila has only budgeted $256 million for the purchase of six attack helicopters, meaning that the country could buy only one or two choppers.

As reported by major media outlets, the Trump administration has recently cleared Philippines to buy six Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian or six Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters.

But as reported by Iquirer.net, Philippine’s Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana said on May 13, 2020 that the two Foreign Military Sales (FMS) package for attack helicopters offered by the US are too expensive for the country.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said that the Foreign Military Sale package for the AH-64E is worth up to $1.5 billion while the order for AH-1Z will cost up to $450 million.

These packages are not final, and may be adjusted upon the request of the Philippine government.

However, Lorenzana said that the Philippine Air Force (PAF) has only budgeted $256 million for the purchase of six attack helicopters, meaning that the country could buy only one or two choppers.

Last year, the country selected the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) T129 attack helicopter but the sale has been held up as Turkey needs export approval from Washington for certain parts.

Built by Boeing, the AH-64E stands as the world’s most advanced multi-role combat helicopter. To date, more than 400 AH-64E model Apaches have been delivered worldwide. The AH-64E is designed and equipped with an open systems architecture to incorporate the latest communications, navigation, sensor, and weapon systems.

According to Bell, the AH-1Z is designed to operate – and destroy targets – in the most extreme environments. The US Marine Corps is replacing the two-bladed AH-1W with the AH-1Z, which features a new, four-bladed composite rotor system, performance-matched transmission, four-bladed tail rotor, upgraded landing gear and a fully integrated glass cockpit. The AH-1Z is equipped with an integrated advanced fire control system and the capacity to support multiple weapons configurations.

Philippines has been cleared to buy AH-64E and AH-1Z but has no money to buy attack helicopters
This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. AH-64D “Longbow Apache” Serial No.99-5135, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Iraq, March 2003.

Photo credit: Lance Cpl. Dalton S. Swanbeck/U.S. Marine Corps and Nicky Boogaard via Wikipedia


Share this article

Dario Leone

Dario Leone

Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviation Geek Club” one of the world’s most read military aviation blogs. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Share this article


Share this article
Share this article

Always up to date! News and offers delivered directly to you!

Get the best aviation news, stories and features from The Aviation Geek Club in our newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.



    Share this article
    Back to top
    My Agile Privacy
    This website uses technical and profiling cookies. Clicking on "Accept" authorises all profiling cookies. Clicking on "Refuse" or the X will refuse all profiling cookies. By clicking on "Customise" you can select which profiling cookies to activate. We and our selected ad partners can store and/or access information on your device, such as cookies, unique identifiers, browsing data. You can always choose the specific purposes related to profiling by accessing the advertising preferences panel, and you can always withdraw your consent at any time by clicking on "Manage consent" at the bottom of the page.

    List of some possible advertising permissions:

    You can consult: our list of advertising partners, the Cookie Policy and the Privacy Policy.
    Warning: some page functionalities could not work due to your privacy choices