In the list of military hardware that the Indian Ministry of Defence cleared for purchase on February 12, as many as 114 French Rafale and six P-8I long-range maritime surveillance aircraft figure prominently.
However, Boeing Defense, Space & Security, which produces the P-8I, may not be entirely happy, as the Indian list did not include the Apache attack helicopters.
After all, none other than the U.S. President Donald Trump had reportedly claimed recently that India would buy a total of 68 Apaches. But India does not seem to be interested in that figure.
Between 2015 and 2025, it ordered and procured only 28 Apache helicopters, the last three of which were received on December 16, 2025.
More than the monetary factor (one fully loaded Apache is said to cost around $150 million, as against India’s indigenous Light Combat Helicopter Prachand, which costs around $48 million), what may have restrained the Indian military planners is the growing debate all over the world for a relook at the role of attack helicopters in modern wars.
Helicopter air assaults once changed the course of wars, but today their role seems to be fading as small and inexpensive drones paralyze logistics at a fraction of the cost and risk. At least, this has been the case in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War.
Incidentally, experts remind that the attack helicopter was invented when the French Army, fighting in Algeria, took a step beyond simply bolting machine guns onto rotorcraft airframes. In 1956, it equipped various Alouette II light utility choppers with anti-tank missiles or unguided rockets.
Two years later (1958), Bell Helicopter in the U.S. recognized that an ideal helicopter configuration for the attack mission would feature a slim body with two crew members seated in tandem. The U.S. Army ordered the concept into production in 1966 as the AH-1.
Subsequently, the AH-64 Apache was developed with superior all-weather, day/night capability and, later, mast-mounted radars for long-range, “fire-and-forget” missile engagements.
Modern attack helicopters over the last two decades have been said to have shifted their focus to advanced sensor fusion, network-centric warfare, and multi-role capabilities, such as the AH-64E Apache, the Eurocopter Tiger, and India’s Light Combat Helicopter, developed by HAL.
Meanwhile, David Axe, a prominent military journalist, has frequently explored the declining survivability and relevance of combat helicopters in modern warfare.
In his various writings, he has highlighted how the proliferation of low-cost drones and advanced air defenses has turned once-elite helicopter units into vulnerable targets. A $325,000–$2 million drone can destroy a $50 million+ helicopter.
Increasingly, the proliferation of look-down radar capabilities and advanced long-range air defense systems poses a significant threat to attack helicopters. This is especially so as sensor fidelity and advanced networking capabilities continue to expand, along with a range of counter-air missile technologies.
Besides, while drones are attritable and disposable, the loss of an attack helicopter means risking highly trained and irreplaceable human crews.
Axe has highlighted how Russian helicopter regiments, specifically those operating Ka-52 and Mi-28 gunships, suffered heavy losses early in the 2022 invasion due to Ukrainian air defences, forcing them to change tactics. According to him, as of late 2024, Ukrainian forces successfully used FPV (First Person View) drones to damage and intercept Russian helicopters in mid-flight, a development that further threatens the future of rotary-wing combat.
And to compound the problem, modern man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) and anti-aircraft guns are making low-level, close-support flying extremely dangerous.
The analysis emphasizes that experienced aviators are becoming harder to replace than the airframes themselves, leading to a “death” of the traditional manned combat helicopter doctrine. In this regard, he also cites the Yom Kippur War and the Battle of Mogadishu, illustrating the extreme risks helicopter crews face in contested environments.
In sum, the future of attack helicopters is being questioned in the wake of the low-cost drones (UAVs) and loitering munitions, particularly in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, demonstrating the ability to neutralize expensive, heavily armed aircraft.
And this has led some militaries to replace manned attack helicopters with drones over the last few years.
Japan is actively replacing its fleet of Bell AH-1 Cobra and Boeing AH-64D Apache helicopters with drones. It decided three years ago that it would replace all its combat rotorcraft – 12 Boeing AH-64s, 50 Bell AH-1s, and 37 Kawasaki OH – 1s – with drones. The official rationale was “Elimination of obsolete equipment”.
Japan is also getting rid of scout helicopters—essentially light attack helicopters that place greater emphasis on sensors than on firepower. Instead, the country is in the process of operating uncrewed replacements for attack helicopters.
South Korea has also cancelled some attack-helicopter projects, including plans for a follow-on buy of 36 AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters. These aircraft, worth $3.5 billion, would have joined the 36 AH-64s already procured by Seoul.
A report quoting senior South Korean leaders said that the reason for the cancellation of the order was the vulnerability of helicopters to proliferated air defenses and loitering munitions/drones that have been showcased to the world in Ukraine.
“Drones and smart systems are redefining modern battlefields… Rather than clinging to expensive legacy platforms, we must invest in capabilities that reflect the future of warfare.”
Even the U.S. Army is restructuring its aviation units, planning to cut hundreds of Apaches (specifically by retiring the D-model and reducing the total fleet size) to reallocate funds to future unmanned technologies.
In February 2024, the U.S. Army cancelled the Future Renaissance Aircraft Program, and 15 months later – in May 2025 – it announced further cuts. It said that all AH-64Ds would be retired without replacement, leaving approximately 600 newer AH-64Es in service for now.
Some high-ranking U.S. Army officials have questioned the Apache’s future combat effectiveness against modern, high-intensity threats, labelling them potentially less effective in future conflicts.
These officials are pointing out that attack helicopters have a notoriously short range, especially when laden for combat. They are questioning how, in the modern era of anti-access capabilities, attack helicopters would even get within launch range of their target area, let alone survive once there.
Speed also buys some degree of survivability, which traditional helicopters don’t have, it is said. These factors are especially magnified in the Pacific, which, in part, led the U.S. Army to further develop and procure the tiltrotor V-280 Valor over the compound helicopter Sikorsky-Boeing SB-1 Defiant.
In fact, the U.S. Army now plans to transition to a pure fleet of AH-64E Apaches by retiring all its D-models. The E model, Boeing says, will have an “Open Systems approach” to integrate new capabilities like “Launched Effects” and enhance teaming with autonomous systems for greater interoperability; these could form a new class of uncrewed vehicles that could be integrated with existing rotorcraft like UH-60s and AH-64s.
Incidentally, the above development lends credibility to the supporters of the attack helicopters when they explain that, whatever the critics may say, “Apache, Black Hawk and Chinook platforms remain indispensable to the force,” and “they will not be discarded but modernized.”
They argue that when equipped with advanced electronic warfare (EW) suites, laser jammers (DIRCM), and flares, the attack helicopters can defend against incoming missiles better than small drones.
In fact, they visualize the day not far off when helicopters and drones will team up. The former will act as “motherships ” and control the latter from a safe distance, scouting and targeting enemies with long-range, non-line-of-sight (NLOS) missiles.
As it is, Boeing’s official position is that its production plan for the AH-64E runs into the 2060s. As of early 2026, Boeing has a backlog of approximately 300 Apaches, including new-build and remanufactured AH-64E models.
It has secured a $4.6 billion order from Poland, Kuwait, and Egypt, including the replacement of Soviet-era helicopters with AH-64Es. It is hoped that the Asia-Pacific attack helicopter market, including the Apache, will grow at a CAGR of 6.63% through 2030, driven by modernization, despite Japanese and Korean cancellations.
Viewed thus, one can only say that, though its role as the sole dominant and low-level anti-tank platform is ending, the attack helicopter is far from obsolete. It is evolving from a direct-exposure “tank killer” into a networked command post that leverages drone swarms for survival and targeting.
- Author and veteran journalist Prakash Nanda is Chairman of the Editorial Board of the EurAsian Times and has been commenting on politics, foreign policy, and strategic affairs for nearly three decades. He is a former National Fellow of the Indian Council for Historical Research and a recipient of the Seoul Peace Prize Scholarship.
- CONTACT: prakash.nanda (at) hotmail.com
