Slovakia approved for US$600 million AH-1Z helicopter order
Slovakia currently has no attack helicopters so the arrival AH-1Zs would be a major capability boost. (Photo: USMC)
The US offered a dozen AH-1Z Viper helicopters to Slovakia at two-thirds discount with the latter sending fighter aircraft to Ukraine, which would extend H-1 production beyond 2024.
The US State Department has approved the sale of 12 Bell Textron AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters to Slovakia under a US$600 million deal which includes missiles, guns and launchers.
Slovakia will join the neighbouring Czech Republic if the order goes ahead along with Pakistan, the US and Bahrain. Nigeria has also been cleared to purchase the platform and a contract placed but deliveries have yet to begin.
As well as the helicopters, the deal includes 26 T-700 GE 401C engines (24 installed, 2 spares), 1,680 WGU-59/B Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems (APKWS) and 14 Honeywell embedded global positioning systems/inertial navigation systems (12 installed, 2 spares).
Other systems include Helmet Mounted Display System/Optimized TopOwl, Target Sight Systems and containers, ANVIS-9 night-vision cueing displays, AN/ARC-210 Generation 6 receiver-transmitter 2036 radio equipment and AN/APX-123A identification friend or foe (IFF) Mode 5 systems.
Kinetic weapons approved under the deal include WTU-1B warheads, M-197 20mm armament pod gun assemblies, 20 mm PGU-27A/B target practice rounds and 20 mm PGU-28A/B semi armour piercing high explosive incendiary rounds.
Protection systems include AN/ALE-47 chaff and flare countermeasures systems, MJU-32A/B and MJU-49B decoy flares, SMB875B/ALE flare simulators, AN/AAR-47 missile warning system and AN/APR-39C radar warning receiver and conversion kits.
The AH-1Z Viper is an upgrade to AH-1W and replaces the existing cockpit and drive system with an integrated digital/glass cockpit, four-bladed, all-composite, hingeless, bearingless rotor system, drivetrain, engine, transmission, hydraulics, electrical systems and tail boom.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![How geopolitics and new military alliances are disrupting combat aircraft procurement]()
How geopolitics and new military alliances are disrupting combat aircraft procurement
Selection of fighter aircraft by national governments has always been political. As markets and allegiances shift against a background of global realignment, who will be the winners and losers as new entrants compete with established suppliers?
-
![Singapore’s interest in GCAP reflects its long-term approach to air power]()
Singapore’s interest in GCAP reflects its long-term approach to air power
A potential interest in joining GCAP is indicative of Singapore’s long-term and methodical approach to defence procurement and could benefit its local defence industry.
-
![US military tests AI-powered CUAS turret against drone swarms]()
US military tests AI-powered CUAS turret against drone swarms
As the US continues to invest heavily in counter-drone systems, demand for low-cost, mobile and autonomous technologies is on the rise, with Edda designed to align with these emerging requirements.
-
![August crewed air review: KC-390 momentum builds as demand in the tanker market grows]()
August crewed air review: KC-390 momentum builds as demand in the tanker market grows
The KC-390 is building a growing international operator base, but competition in the transport and tanker market is increasingly likely to depend on interoperability, commonality and the strength of supporting ecosystems. Meanwhile, Boeing’s KC-46 and Airbus’s A330 also gained ground in August.
-
![Iran war exposes the limits of US military mass]()
Iran war exposes the limits of US military mass
As the Straits of Hormuz continue to witness military action of various types, what does this mean for combat air and air defence planners in the region and beyond?
