WeaponSpecs

Cheapest helicopters with a published price

14 of the 48 helicopters in the WeaponSpecs database publish a unit cost figure. Ranked on the published number alone, lowest first, with no weighting and no composite score. The 34 helicopters with no published figure are not ranked, absent data is never treated as a low value.

1 of the 14 entries below (Russia) rest on manufacturer or state claims with limited independent verification, marked † in the table. Treat their position in this ranking as directional, not tested.
Cheapest helicopters with a published price, ranked by published unit cost
# System Unit cost Source
1 Dhruv

India flag Hindustan Aeronautics Limited

$8,000,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-02

2 AW139M

Italy flag Leonardo

$15,000,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-02

3 Ka-52 Alligator

Russia flag Russian Helicopters

$16,000,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-01

4 UH-60M Black Hawk

United States flag Lockheed Martin

$21,300,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-02

5 AH-64D Apache Longbow

United States flag Boeing

$26,000,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-02

6 AH-1Z Viper

United States flag Bell

$31,000,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-01

7 AH-64E Apache Guardian

United States flag Boeing

$35,000,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-01

8 MH-60R Seahawk

United States flag Lockheed Martin

$35,000,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-02

9 CH-47F Chinook

United States flag Boeing

$38,500,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-02

10 Tiger HAD

France flag Airbus Helicopters

$44,000,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-01

11 AW159 Wildcat

Italy flag Leonardo

$45,000,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-04

12 AW101 Merlin

Italy flag Leonardo

$60,000,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-02

13 V-22 Osprey

United States flag Boeing

$72,000,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-02

14 CH-53K King Stallion

United States flag Lockheed Martin

$87,000,000 reference ↗

checked 2026-07-02

Compiled from public manufacturer, defense-ministry and reference sources. Published defense figures are approximations and are often stated under different conditions, so treat this ordering as directional rather than a tested result. A board is only generated where at least 5 systems in the class publish the figure. How we compile specs →

Other helicopters rankings

Unit cost in other classes