How Apache Chopper's Presence Near Pakistan Border Will Shift The Equation
What truly sets the Apache apart, and makes it feared across theatres of war, is the AN/APG-78 Longbow radar system mounted above its rotor.

Fifteen months after a squadron was raised in Jodhpur to house the world's most feared attack helicopter, the Indian Army today took delivery of the first three of six Boeing-built AH-64E Apache helicopters.
The desert camo painted helicopters, which sport fuselages built by a Tata-Boeing joint venture on the outskirts of Hyderabad, are destined for combat patrol missions near the Pakistan border, where they will immediately be a major boost to the Indian Army's combat rotorcraft fleet, currently comprised of Indian-made Dhruv Rudra and Prachand helicopters.
The Indian Army's Apache helicopters are not the first in country. The Indian Air Force operates two squadrons of the type, based in Pathankot and Jorhat, each 'taking care of' the northern sectors and eastern sectors facing China.
Heavily armed, the Apache's arsenal includes a 30 mm M230 chain gun for close support, 70 mm Hydra rockets for area saturation, and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles that can destroy armoured vehicles and tanks from over six kilometres away. For aerial threats, it carries air-to-air Stinger missiles, making it lethal not just to tanks, but even to helicopters and UAVs. The Indian Army and IAF versions of the Apache are identical.

The Indian Army's order for 6 Apaches is almost certain to go up to at least three times that number
What truly sets the Apache apart, and makes it feared across theatres of war, is the AN/APG-78 Longbow radar system mounted above its rotor. About half of the Apaches for the Indian Army and IAF are Longbow-fitted versions of the helicopter. This mast-mounted, millimetre-wave radar can track up to 128 ground targets and prioritise 16 simultaneously. Its positioning allows the Apache to scan and assign targets while remaining hidden behind terrain, literally popping up only to deliver fire. That radar, paired with advanced infrared sensors, helmet-mounted displays, and night vision systems, makes the Apache a predator in the dark, ideal for sudden, overwhelming strikes. Their very presence adds several layers of deterrent caution on Pakistani ground movements.
For the Indian Army, the AH-64E will also be able to receive live sensor feeds from drones, giving it situational awareness of the kind Indian Army copter pilots have never had before. This networked combat ability allows the Apache to detect threats, coordinate attacks, and share targeting data in real time, offering commanders a comprehensive, multi-domain view of the battlefield.
Its induction comes weeks after Operation Sindoor, and at a time when India's western frontier remains live with threats. The Apache's presence near the Pakistan border shifts the equation. It can engage enemy armour, radar posts, terror camps and logistics convoys with speed and precision. Its survivability, with armoured crew compartments, crash-resistant systems, and hardened rotors, ensures it can take damage and still complete missions.
The Indian Army's order for six Apaches is almost certain to go up to at least three times that number.
-
Opinion | What Ashley Tellis 'Spying' Allegation Should Tell India About Chinese 'Influence Ops'
Two separate cases underscore one of the most serious challenges that open democracies are facing today in managing Chinese aggressive tactics when it comes to influence operations.
-
Opinion | Who Moved My Tech?
The business of technology has rewired the very logic of market behaviour, rewarding first movers and creation of dependencies more than even revenue and returns.
-
As India Sticks To Death By Hanging, A Look At Execution Methods Across The World
Close to three-quarters of the world, including almost all developed countries, have abolished capital punishment either in law or in practice, but 55 nations still retain and implement the death penalty.
-
Opinion | The Story Of RSS And Left: Why One Flourished, And Other Perished
Between Jyoti Basu's lost opportunity and Vajpayee's brief triumph lies the story of modern India - of one movement that adapted its faith to politics, and another that failed to adapt its politics to faith.
-
Opinion | US-China Trade War Has Turned Into A Full-Blown Siege, And India Is Stuck
Beijing's export controls, timed before diplomacy, reveal insecurity more than strength. By weaponising minerals, China has reminded the world why diversification is destiny.
-
Opinion | If Political Parties Fear POSH, The Problem Really Is Something Else
If women in India cannot be safe within the organisations that send them to Parliament and assemblies, the promise of democracy becomes hollow.
-
Opinion | Trump's Gaza Plan: Ushering "Peace for Our Time" In West Asia?
The long-elusive ceasefire is only the opening overture of a fiendishly complicated serial act. Seasoned observers of the region advise taking it with a ladleful of salt.
-
Opinion | The Northeasterner: Indian, Until Someone Needs A Punchline - By Vir Sanghvi
The racism we casually throw at those from the North East is not so different - or any less offensive - from the racism that Indians face in the West. Yet, we remain blind to it.
-
Opinion | The 'Real' Message To Trump And Pak In Taliban Minister's India Visit
To Trump, Taliban has made it clear that it is in no mood to rekindle American presence in Afghanistan. And to Pakistan, it seems to be signalling a newfound independence in its policies and activities.
-
Tata Trusts Infighting Over Board Seats. NDTV Explains What Happened And Why
Tata Trusts owns around 66 per cent of Tata Sons, which is the Tata Group's investments holding company.
-
News Updates
-
Featured
-
More Links
-
Follow Us On