UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed that tanks will also be part of the package following a request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky also requested rescue aircraft. According to the Sunday People, a senior defense source has said that the Ukrainian army will be given four Apache helicopters and 10 Challenger-2 battle tanks. He says that Apache will prove to be a ‘game changer’. The tanks will arrive first and the deployment of helicopters will take some time.
Only four Apaches heavy on 70 tanks
The source said, “Russia has thousands of tanks so more than four Apaches will be required to have a strategic impact. But strategically it will be a big step. One of the most striking features of the state-of-the-art Apache AH64 E is its lethal missile control. It can detect more than 250 targets at once from a range of more than 16 km and can destroy multiple targets in a matter of seconds. Just four Apache helicopters can destroy an entire enemy fleet of about 70 tanks in the blink of an eye.
‘Flying tank in the air’
Each helicopter is powered by the same engine as a Rolls Royce and can fly at a speed of 293 kmph. It is armed with 16 anti-tank Hellfire missiles, 76 Hydra 70 mm rockets and a 30 mm chain gun. The cost of each Apache helicopter is 70 million pounds i.e. around 6.95 billion rupees. It would not be wrong if this powerful helicopter is called a ‘flying tank’. Ukrainian pilots are ready to take helicopter flying training in Britain.
