Market Trends of Europe Attack Helicopter Industry
Army Platform Segment to Witness the Highest Growth During the Forecast Period
European nations are focusing on increasing the air superiority of their defense forces, which is leading to the procurement of new attack helicopters. Various armies of European countries have more than 140 attack helicopters on order. Germany Army is investing in the modernization and maintenance of its fleet of Tiger attack helicopters.
In August 2023, the US State Department approved a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) worth USD 12 billion to supply 96 AH-64E Apache helicopters to the Polish armed forces. Similarly, the UK Army is acquiring 50 AH-64E attack rotorcraft, which will be delivered by 2024. The deal of USD 2.3 billion was signed in 2016 to replace the fleet of 66 Apache AH-1 helicopters (AH-64D equivalent) with 50 AH-64E Apache. A total of 26 AH-64Es are now in service in the UK. Similar modernization plans of the other countries are propelling the market growth for attack helicopters in Europe.
Russia to Dominate the Market During the Forecast Period
Russia's military expenditure is estimated to have increased by 9.2% in 2022 to USD 86.4 billion, equivalent to 4.1% of Russia's GDP. Russia accounts for one of the biggest defense budgets in the world and factors such as air space violations by other countries, foreign deployments in geographies such as the Middle East, rising border tensions in Eastern Europe, etc. are propelling the demand for advanced attack helicopters in the country.
In 2023, Russian defense expenditure surged by over 24% compared to 2022. In its draft budget for 2023, Russia increased the national security and public order defense allocation by 50% compared with 2022. The Russian armed forces started the expansion of their aircraft fleet with new procurements and upgrades much before the current ongoing war. For instance, in 2021, the country ordered 442 helicopters, which include 65 Ka-52, 100 Ka-62, 10 Mi-8/17/171, 15 Mi-26, 99 Mi-28, 6 Mi-38, and 42 Mi-28.
The Ka-52 and Ka-62 attack helicopters are seen as competitors to the Apache AH-64. These helicopters are believed to significantly improve Russia's Intelligence, Reconnaissance, and Surveillance (IRS) missions when the country is faced with the twin challenges of Ukraine joining NATO and the Western countries using members in the Eastern European region to conduct military drills. The ongoing war with Ukraine is expected to aid in military helicopter procurement and drive the military aviation market in the country.
