Israel is expanding its helicopter activity in the north due to concerns of a Hezbollah escalation. The Air Force has deployed additional attack helicopters and is rewriting its border-defense doctrine based on the lessons of October 7, aiming to shorten response times and prevent possible infiltrations from Lebanon. As part of this shift, Israel is pushing to replace and double its aging Apache fleet to ensure maximum readiness.

What’s happening?
According to Maariv, the Air Force is upgrading its defensive capabilities following the 2023 assault, focusing on stopping commando infiltrations and protecting northern towns. A major effort is underway to minimize helicopter response times for defensive operations, and a broad conceptual change is taking place inside the Air Force’s Border and Participation Division. These steps stem from a full investigation of the failures exposed on October 7.

To achieve this, the Air Force intends to replace all older Apaches and significantly increase the fleet. The vision: helicopters must provide rapid, effective answers to a wide range of threats and support ground maneuvering across multiple fronts.