Poland Signs Offset Agreement with Lockheed Martin for Apache Helicopter Servicing

Poland signed an offset agreement with American defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin on March 23, 2026, establishing a service center for AH-64E Apache attack helicopters at Military Aviation Plant No. 1 in Łódź, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced at a signing ceremony. The agreement covers two offset obligations valued at approximately 300 million PLN, forming part of a broader offset package for the Apache program that exceeds 1.2 billion PLN in total. Poland ordered 96 helicopters in the AH-64E Guardian version under a contract signed in August 2024 worth approximately 10.8 billion U.S. dollars. Tusk described the Apache purchase as "a great opportunity not only for our defense, but also for our enterprises," calling it one of the largest contracts between Poland and the United States. Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz also spoke at the ceremony, stressing that a well-equipped army is a guarantee of national security. „Our task, the task of the Polish government, the Polish Armaments Group, WZL, the Ministry of National Defence (...) is to safeguard Polish security and Polish interests. That is why we negotiate firmly and that is why offset has become a fact here, not an illusion.” (Our task, the task of the Polish government, the Polish Armaments Group, WZL, the Ministry of National Defence, is to safeguard Polish security and Polish interests. That is why we negotiate firmly and that is why offset has become a fact here, not an illusion.) — Donald Tusk via PAP

Łódź plant gains new competencies for modern warfare The agreement tasks WZL-1 with servicing and maintaining the Apache fleet once deliveries begin, giving Poland domestic repair and support capabilities for one of the most advanced attack helicopter systems in the world. According to the Defence24 service, as cited by naTemat.pl, the agreement "closes a key stage of the program and opens the way to building domestic service and maintenance capabilities." Tusk emphasized that the investment would allow Polish industry to acquire new technical competencies beyond simple maintenance work. Kosiniak-Kamysz noted that the Łódź plant would gain the ability to service not only Apaches but also other helicopters currently serving in the Polish armed forces. Deliveries of the AH-64E helicopters are scheduled for the years 2028 to 2032. Upon completion of the order, Poland will become the second-largest user of Apache helicopters in the world, behind only the United States. „96 Apaches are the second army of combat helicopters of American production in the world, right after the United States, no one will have a larger one.” — Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz via wpolityce.pl

1.2 billion (PLN) — total offset package value for Apache program

Apache offset agreements — scope: Agreements signed March 23, 2026 (before: No domestic Apache servicing capability, after: Two offset obligations worth approx. 300 million PLN); Total offset package for Apache program (before: Pre-contract baseline, after: Over 1.2 billion PLN across multiple agreements)

Poland's helicopter procurement history has been marked by controversy. The previous government under Prime Minister Donald Tusk cancelled a contract for French-made Caracal helicopters, a decision that cost Poland an 80 million penalty, according to the current prime minister's remarks at the ceremony. The United Right government subsequently pursued American Apache helicopters as a replacement. The U.S. government approved the sale of 96 AH-64E Apaches and related equipment to Poland in August 2023, according to web search results, with the formal purchase contract signed in August 2024 for approximately 10.8 billion dollars.

Opposition accuses Tusk of claiming credit for PiS-era deal The ceremony immediately triggered a political dispute, with former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and former Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak accusing the Tusk government of appropriating credit for a purchase initiated under the previous United Right administration. Government spokesman Adam Szłapka had written on social media that "the first offset agreement for Apache has been signed," a claim Błaszczak disputed by citing a Ministry of National Defence statement from September 2023 in which he announced signing an offset agreement covering radar and missile guidance system servicing, also valued at approximately 300 million PLN. Morawiecki responded directly to Tusk's social media post on the subject. „I see, Donald, that a day without lying is a day wasted. The agreement for the delivery of 96 helicopters was signed by the United Right government in September 2023. I know that you lack any achievements whatsoever, but that is when power is handed over, not when you keep lying to Poles.” (I see, Donald, that a day without lying is a day wasted. The agreement for the delivery of 96 helicopters was signed by the United Right government in September 2023. I know that you lack any achievements whatsoever, but that is when power is handed over, not when you keep lying to Poles.) — Mateusz Morawiecki via Do Rzeczy Tusk, for his part, used the ceremony to criticize the previous government for withdrawing from the contract for French Caracal helicopters, saying that decision cost Poland both a financial penalty and years of delay in modernizing its helicopter fleet.

Tusk sends message to Moscow, Washington, and Budapest Beyond the immediate defense procurement context, Tusk used the Łódź ceremony to deliver a broader geopolitical statement directed at multiple capitals simultaneously. He declared that there is "no conflict of interest whatsoever between NATO states" and that Poland knows how to distinguish an ally from an enemy. „From this place I can also say loudly — so that these words reach everywhere possible: to Moscow, and to Washington, to Kyiv, to European capitals, and even to Budapest — here in Poland we really know who the ally is.” — Donald Tusk via Do Rzeczy The prime minister also linked the Apache deal to other defense initiatives, including the Poland Armed project and the EU SAFE loan, framing them as complementary pillars of Poland's security strategy. He argued that investments financed through such instruments would free up funds from the Polish national budget for continued cooperation with American allies. Tusk concluded his remarks with a pointed warning: "Those who wish us ill should fear the Polish Apache. There really is something to fear."