TEL AVIV, Oct. 15 -- Israel signed on Wednesday for 12 Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters that are not due until the early 2030s, according to Israeli media as relayed by Arab News.

The Defense Ministry called the "Echo" variant the Apache's "newest and most advanced model." The Israeli government had transferred 1 billion shekels, about $322.8 million, to the ministry before the agreement. The delivery timeline comes from the Times of Israel.

What the report does not say is how the 12 are paid for, or whether they are the first slice of something larger. A larger deal exists on paper. In January the Defense Security Cooperation Agency told Congress the State Department had cleared a possible sale of 30 AH-64E helicopters to Israel...