The U.S. Army 1st Armoured Division has deployed AH-64 Apache assault helicopters for deep strike live-fire workouts in Lithuania close to the Belarusian border, throughout which the plane flew coordinated strike missions and destroyed simulated enemy positions. The division’s 1st Fight Aviation Brigade reported concerning the workouts: “The coaching reinforces our skill to reply quickly and exactly in assist of regional safety.” The deployments coincide with Belarus’ Zapad army workouts with Russia, and happen a 14 months after China made an unprecedented deployment of floor forces to Belarus for its first main joint workouts with the nation. Belarus stays the one nation in Europe thought of exterior the Western Bloc’s sphere of affect, and has just lately quickly modernised its army capabilities with giant scale procurements predominantly from Russia.
Regardless of its comparatively small defence finances, Belarus has sustained a formidable assault helicopter fleet for the reason that disintegration of the Soviet Union, with the Apache’s Soviet counterpart, the Mi-24, remaining in service with excessive availability charges, and being conservatively modernised. Though it was beforehand speculated that Belarus may procure Mi-28 subsequent era assault helicopters, that are considerably newer and in some ways extra succesful than the Apache, orders have been as a substitute positioned for the Mi-35M, the primary of which have been delivered in August 2023. The Mi-35M is a closely enhanced by-product of the Mi-24, with the 2 having vital commonality between them. The plane isn’t purely an assault helicopter just like the extra expensive Mi-28 and Ka-52, and was designed to additionally function a troop transport. It has been used efficiently for offensives in Ukraine.
Having seen 4 a long time in service, the Apache is by far the oldest class of heavy assault helicopter in manufacturing anyplace on the planet, with its growth having been strongly prioritised throughout the Chilly Warfare to bridge the hole in efficiency with the Soviet Mi-24, which had for the previous 15 years been successfully in a league of its personal by way of capabilities. Issues have grown concerning the plane’s reliability, with 4 Apaches having crashed in simply 44 days in early 2024, together with two inside simply three days in March. Regardless of its age, the Apache has continued to be incrementally modernised, with deployments in Japanese Europe anticipated to proceed to increase because the Polish Armed Forces plan to obtain 96 of the plane. Poland’s speedy army buildup has been a main issue rising strain on Belarus’ defences, alongside parallel buildups by different NATO members.
