In February 2018, the Royal Netherlands Air Force decided to modernise its fleet of 28 AH-64D Apaches to the standard of the AH-64E Apache Guardian. All 28 AH-64Ds were shipped to the United States in November 2021 for upgrade, and the RNLAF received the upgraded AH-64Es from 2023 to 2025.

The Dutch AH-64E was introduced in Update 2.51 "Spearhead" as part of the French helicopter tree. As an export model, it is nearly identical to the AH-64E in the American tech tree, albeit lacking additional IRCM on the wingtips. The AH-64E has the option of using up to sixteen AGM-179 missiles with a range of up to 16 km and either IR or SAL guidance. This allows the AH-64E to comfortably pick off the enemy from safe distances. However, despite the lack of additional IRCM pods, the AH-64E can only mount the ATAS anti-air missile on the outer pylons, effectively cutting its anti-tank capabilities in half.