Boeing, alongside Polish defense contractors Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze Nr 1 S.A. (WZL-1) and the Military Central Bureau of Design and Technology S.A. (WCBKT), signed offset implementation agreements on August 11, 2026, to establish Europe’s largest AH-64E Apache service center in Łódź, Poland.

Announced in a Boeing press release, the agreements lay the industrial groundwork to support the Polish Armed Forces’ incoming fleet of 96 Boeing AH-64E Apache helicopters. The infrastructure development will enable domestic maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) capabilities, securing Poland’s position as the world’s second-largest Apache operator behind the United States.

Building Europe’s largest Apache maintenance hub

Under the terms of the agreement, Boeing will assist WZL-1 in establishing organizational, intermediate, and selected depot-level component repair capabilities. According to reporting by Euractiv, the investment is projected to double the workforce at the Łódź facility and could eventually service helicopters from other European nations.

“For WZL-1, establishing the largest Apache support infrastructure in Europe is both a responsibility and a natural extension of our core business activities. This agreement will enable us to provide support to the Polish Armed Forces, significantly enhancing their operational capabilities,” said Jacek A. Goszczyński, CEO of WZL-1.

A parallel agreement with WCBKT focuses on ground support. Boeing and WCBKT will evaluate Polish-manufactured ground support equipment for compatibility with the AH-64E platform. WCBKT CEO Roman Fiszer noted the partnership strengthens the company’s position as a national center of expertise for military ground support equipment design and manufacturing.

Fleet acquisition and delivery timeline

The offset agreements follow Poland’s August 2024 contract, valued at approximately $10 billion, to acquire 96 AH-64E Guardian helicopters, weapons, and logistics support. In November 2025, the U.S. Army awarded Boeing a $4.7 billion Foreign Military Sales contract to produce the airframes.

Deliveries of the new AH-64E helicopters are expected to begin in 2028. To prepare pilots and maintainers for the transition, the Polish Armed Forces currently lease eight older AH-64D Apaches from the U.S. Army, according to The Aviationist.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk highlighted the scale of the procurement, telling Polskie Radio that the 96-aircraft fleet will be the largest in the world outside the United States. Poland is the 19th nation to operate the Apache, joining a global fleet of approximately 1,300 helicopters.

Strategic industrial cooperation

Boeing Global Services Vice-President Marc-Olivier Sabourin emphasized the long-term nature of the partnership during the signing ceremony.

“Together with WZL-1 and WCKBT, we are building the industrial framework, technical expertise and workforce needed to support Poland’s Apache fleet for decades, while strengthening Poland’s sovereign defense capabilities,” Sabourin said.

The agreements align with Poland’s broader strategy to integrate its domestic defense industry into the global supply chains of major U.S. aerospace manufacturers. The Polish Armaments Group (PGZ), which oversees both WZL-1 and WCBKT, continues to expand its technical competencies through these mandatory offset programs tied to foreign military purchases.

AirPro News analysis

We view the establishment of the Łódź service center as a critical step in Poland’s rapid military modernization program. By securing domestic MRO capabilities before the first AH-64E deliveries in 2028, the Polish Ministry of National Defence is mitigating future readiness bottlenecks that often plague large-scale foreign military acquisitions. The scale of the facility also positions Polish industry to capture future sustainment contracts as other European nations evaluate their own attack helicopter requirements and seek regional maintenance alternatives.

Sources: Boeing Newsroom

The U.S. Army has awarded Collins Aerospace, an RTX business, a contract valued at up to $472 million to provide engineering services for the modernization and sustainment of the CH-47 Chinook helicopter fleet’s avionics systems.

Announced in a press release on August 11, 2026, the agreement focuses on integrating new capabilities and addressing component obsolescence within the heavy-lift aircraft. The initiative aims to advance open, reusable avionics architectures, promoting platform commonality across the Army’s aviation enterprise to streamline future technology insertions and reduce integration costs.

Avionics upgrades and open architecture

The modernization effort targets the core avionics architecture of the Chinook, ensuring the platform remains technologically relevant for multidomain operations. Engineering services for the contract will be executed at Collins Aerospace facilities in Huntsville, Alabama, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Collins Aerospace operates as a business unit of RTX Corporation, a major defense and aerospace contractor that reported more than $88 billion in sales for 2025 and employs over 180,000 people globally. The company has a long history of supplying flight deck technology for military rotorcraft.

Jenny Miller, Vice President and General Manager of Vision and Sensing Systems at Collins Aerospace, stated that the company equips the Chinook with advanced avionics integrating communication, navigation, and mission subsystems into a flexible cockpit built for current operational demands.

“Our longstanding avionics partnership with the U.S. Army ensures the fleet continuously evolves to support the warfighter and meet future operational demands,” Miller said.

Transitioning the heavy-lift fleet

The avionics contract arrives as the U.S. Army actively transitions its heavy-lift helicopter inventory. On April 13, 2026, the Army’s PM Cargo delivered the final Block I CH-47F Chinook helicopter. This delivery marked a definitive shift toward Block II production and the ongoing modernization of the existing Block I fleet.

The U.S. Army’s Fiscal Year 2026 defense budget reinforces this transition. The budget includes funding for six new CH-47F Block II and five MH-47G Block II Chinook helicopters. This procurement strategy underscores sustained confidence in the Chinook as the military branch’s core heavy-lift aircraft.

AirPro News analysis

We view this $472 million contract as a critical bridge in the U.S. Army’s rotorcraft strategy. By investing heavily in open systems architecture for the legacy CH-47 platform, the Army is hedging against the high costs of bespoke upgrades. Open architectures allow for modular technology insertions, meaning future communication or navigation systems can be integrated without requiring a complete avionics overhaul. This approach not only extends the operational life of the Chinook fleet but also aligns with broader Department of Defense mandates for platform commonality and reduced lifecycle sustainment costs. As the Army shifts focus to Block II production, maintaining a modernized and interoperable Block I fleet remains essential for near-term readiness.

Sources: RTX

Joby Aviation, Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Dayton, Ohio-based Resonant Sciences for approximately $500 million, a transaction that establishes a dedicated defense business unit for the electric aircraft developer.

Announced in a press release on August 11, 2026, the acquisitions allows Joby to target next-generation autonomous defense platforms while keeping its commercial division focused on certifying its electric air taxi. The deal is structured with $450 million in cash and $50 million in Joby common stock, with the transaction expected to close in the first half of 2027.

Strategic expansion into defense technology

The acquisition merges Joby’s propulsion and autonomy technology stack with Resonant’s capabilities in radio frequency (RF) sensing, signal processing, and low-observability aircraft design. Resonant Sciences, founded in 2015, brings an established defense portfolio and a workforce of approximately 250 employees, more than 90 percent of whom hold security clearances.

Joby Aviation Founder and Chief Executive Officer JoeBen Bevirt stated that the combination pairs Resonant’s established capabilities with Joby’s aircraft propulsion technologies.

“Resonant has built an exceptional business that combines advanced technology, vertically integrated production capabilities and deep customer trust,” Bevirt said. “The combination will pair Resonant’s established capabilities with Joby’s globally leading aircraft propulsion technologies, creating a powerful platform for the next phase of Resonant’s growth.”

For Resonant, the acquisition provides access to Joby’s engineering resources and production expertise. Resonant Sciences Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer J. Micah North noted that joining Joby allows the company to move faster for existing customers and pursue opportunities that neither company could address alone.

Financial footprint and Ohio manufacturing expansion

The transaction brings a revenue-generating asset into Joby’s portfolio. According to the press release, Resonant Sciences generated more than $100 million in trailing-twelve-month revenue, with year-over-year revenue growth of approximately 40 percent.

Joby Aviation Chief Financial Officer Rodrigo Brumana highlighted the financial logic of the acquisition, noting Resonant’s strong visibility into future revenue and healthy adjusted EBITDA margins. Brumana stated that Resonant’s technology, customer relationships, and scaled manufacturing make it a strong strategic fit as Joby builds out its defense business.

Expanding the Dayton manufacturing hub

The acquisition significantly expands Joby’s physical footprint in Ohio. Resonant currently operates approximately 105,000 square feet across seven buildings in the Dayton area and has an additional 125,000-square-foot facility under construction. Combined with Joby’s existing 768,000-square-foot facility in the state, the unified company will manage a footprint of approximately 1 million square feet in Ohio.

AirPro News analysis

We view this $500 million acquisition as a structural pivot for Joby Aviation, effectively bifurcating the company into distinct commercial and defense entities. By acquiring an established defense contractor with a cleared workforce and active U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) contracts, Joby accelerates its military revenue streams without diluting the engineering focus required for its commercial electric air taxi certification. The integration of Resonant’s low-observability and RF sensing technologies with Joby’s dual-use turbine-electric and hydrogen-electric aircraft platforms positions the combined company to compete for advanced autonomous military contracts that require stealth and specialized sensor payloads.

Sources: Joby Aviation