Despite a turbulent last few months for Boeing–marked by a criminal fraud charge and its malfunctioning Starliner spacecraft–the company’s defense arm has had a remarkably productive summer thanks to foreign rotorcraft deals. From August to September, Boeing notched its largest-ever Apache foreign order for 96 AH-64E attack helicopters with Poland, proposed the CH-47F Chinook helicopter to Poland, and secured Foreign Military Sale (FMS) approval for up to 36 AH-64Es to South Korea for approximately $3.5 billion.
Riding a surge of increased European defense spending due to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, Boeing’s military helicopters are filling a growing appetite for nations looking to upgrade their combat attack and heavy-lift rotary fleets. On August 13, 2024, Boeing signed an FMS Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) with Poland for the AH-64E deal, estimated at $12 billion. This package includes advanced sensors, electronics, spare engines, radios, and munitions. A week before, Poland established an offset agreement with Boeing to stimulate local industry with related Apache training and maintenance support.
Just weeks later, Boeing announced it was offering Poland the modernized CH-47F Block II Chinook. The Block II makes improvements on previous variants with an upgraded drive train, a redesigned fuel system adding range, and a new rotor blade design to increase lift and performance. If sold to Poland, this would make the nation the third foreign Block II operator. Germany’s parliament approved the purchase of 60 CH-47Fs for $8.5 billion last summer, and the U.K. recommitted to procuring 14 examples in March.
However, Boeing helicopter sales extend beyond NATO purchasers. Alongside the potential South Korean AH-64E deal approved this summer, the manufacturer has active new-build AH-64E orders with Australia, India, Kuwait, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia. Boeing also continues successfully upgrading AH-64D fleets to the remanufactured AH-64E variant, with programs in place for customers like Egypt, Kuwait, the Netherlands, the U.A.E., and the U.K.
With its advanced AH-64E and Block II CH-47F portfolio and numerous global clients flying older AH-64 and Chinook aircraft, there remains considerable business potential for future orders. While some defense analysts, with an eye toward Ukraine, have questioned the relevance of manned helicopters in modern warfare, many global militaries appear undeterred. Boeing’s flurry of helicopter deals in recent months suggests that the debate remains more theoretical than practical.
A former naval officer and helicopter pilot, Jon covers a range of Forecast International reports and products, drawing on his 10-year background in military aviation, operations, and education. His previous military assignments include multiple overseas deployments supporting operations in the Arabian Gulf, NATO exercises, and humanitarian missions. Jon’s work is also influenced by his time as a former Presidential Management Fellow and international trade specialist at the Department of Commerce.
Before joining Forecast International, Jon also served as an NROTC instructor and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Texas, where he taught undergraduate courses on naval history, navigation, defense organization, and naval operations and warfare. A lifelong reader and learner, his academic and professional interests include aviation, political and military history, national defense and security, and foreign area studies.
