Indonesia To Buy 8 AH-64E Apache Attack Helicopters From The US

According to Chuck Hagel, the United States Secretary of Defense who is currently visiting Indonesia, the US will sell eight Apache AH-64E attack helicopters to the Indonesian Armed Forces for about $500 million.

The AH-64E from Boeing is the latest version of the Apache helicopter in use by the US Army and which has been exported to other countries in the region such as Taiwan and South Korea.

If the acquisition goes through, Indonesia would become the 14th country to have chosen the Apache helicopter. The other countries are Egypt, Greece, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The AH-64E Apache Guardian can be armed with rocket pods, Hellfire and other missiles. A 30 mm cannon is also mounted on the AH-64E. It is compatible with the Longbow radar.

The Apache AH-64E purchase is the latest in a string of acquisitions in recent years by Indonesia from all over the world, including:

• Leopard II Main Battle Tanks from Germany
• T-50 Golden Eagle trainer aircraft from South Korea
• C-802A and C-705 anti-ship missiles from China
• Super Tucano ground attack aircraft from Brazil
• Airbus C-295 transport aircraft from Europe
• Su-30MK2 fighter aircraft and Yakhont missiles from Russia
• F-16 fighter aircraft from the US

Indonesia has chosen to acquire arms from all over the world, which is unlike many other countries which tend to stick exclusively to for example western countries.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/26/us-indonesia-helicopters-idUSL4N0GR24I20130826

By Los688 [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons