https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_AH-64_Apache
The Boeing AH-64 Apache is an American four-blade, twin-turboshaft attack
helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement and a tandem cockpit
for a two-man crew. It features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target
acquisition and night vision systems. It is armed with a 30 mm (1.18 in) M230
chain gun carried between the main landing gear, under the aircraft's forward
fuselage, and four hardpoints mounted on stub-wing pylons for carrying armament
and stores, typically a mixture of AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 rocket
pods. The AH-64 has a large amount of systems redundancy to improve combat
survivability.
The Apache originally started as the Model 77 developed by Hughes Helicopters
for the United States Army's Advanced Attack Helicopter program to replace the
AH-1 Cobra. The prototype YAH-64 was first flown on 30 September 1975. The U.S.
Army selected the YAH-64 over the Bell YAH-63 in 1976, and later approved full
production in 1982. After purchasing Hughes Helicopters in 1984, McDonnell
Douglas continued AH-64 production and development. The helicopter was
introduced to U.S. Army service in April 1986. The first production AH-64D
Apache Longbow, an upgraded Apache variant, was delivered to the Army in March
1997. Production has been continued by Boeing Defense, Space & Security; over
2,000 AH-64s have been produced to date.
The U.S. Army is the primary operator of the AH-64; it has also become the
primary attack helicopter of multiple nations, including Greece, Japan, Israel,
the Netherlands, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates; as well as being
produced under license in the United Kingdom as the AgustaWestland Apache.
American AH-64s have served in conflicts in Panama, the Persian Gulf, Kosovo,
Afghanistan, and Iraq. Israel used the Apache in its military conflicts in
Lebanon and the Gaza Strip; British and Dutch Apaches have seen deployments in
wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The AH-64 is adaptable to numerous different roles within its context as Close
Combat Attack (CCA). In addition to the 30 mm M230E1 Chain Gun, the Apache
carries a range of external stores and weapons on its stub-wing pylons,
typically a mixture of AGM-114 Hellfire anti-tank missiles, and Hydra 70
general-purpose unguided 70 mm (2.756 in) rockets. An 18-aircraft Apache
battalion can carry 288 Hellfire missiles, each capable of destroying a tank.
Since 2005, the Hellfire missile is sometimes outfitted with a thermobaric
warhead; designated AGM-114N, it is intended for use against ground forces and
urban warfare operations. The use of thermobaric "enhanced blast" weapons, such
as the AGM-114N, has been a point of controversy. In October 2015, the U.S. Army
ordered its first batch of Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) guided
70 mm rockets for the Apache.
Role
Attack helicopter
National origin
United States
Manufacturer
First flight
30 September 1975
Introduction
April 1986
Status
In service
Primary users
United States Army
Israeli Air Force
Egyptian Air Force
Royal Netherlands Air Force
Produced
Number built
2,000 as of March 2013
Unit cost
AH-64A: US$20 million (2007)
AH-64D: US$33M (2010)
AH-64E: US$35.5M (FY2014)
Variants
AgustaWestland Apache
The U.S. Army formally accepted its first production AH-64A in January 1984 and
training of the first pilots began later that year. The first operational Apache
unit, 7th Battalion, 17th Cavalry Brigade, began training on the AH-64A in April
1986 at Fort Hood, Texas. Two operational units with 68 AH-64s first deployed to
Europe in September 1987 and took part in large military exercises there.
In 2003, the AH-64 participated in the invasion of Iraq during Operation Iraqi
Freedom. On 24 March 2003, 31 Apaches were damaged, one shot down and its crew
captured, in an unsuccessful attack on an Iraqi Republican Guard armored brigade
near Karbala. Iraqi tank crews had set up a "flak trap" among terrain and
effectively employed their guns. Iraqi officials claimed a farmer with a Brno
rifle shot down the Apache, but the farmer denied involvement. The helicopter
came down intact and both the pilot and co-pilot were captured. The AH-64D was
destroyed via air strike the following day.
As of 2011, the U.S. Army Apache fleet had accumulated more than 3 million
flight hours since the first prototype flew in 1975. A DOD audit released in May
2011, found that Boeing had significantly overcharged the U.S. Army on multiple
occasions, ranging from 33.3 percent to 177,475 percent for routine spare parts
in helicopters like the Apache.
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) first received AH-64As in 1990, for a total fleet of
42. There was some controversy over the Air Force's choice to purchase Apaches
over upgrading existing AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters. In 2000, Israel was
interested in acquiring up to 48 AH-64Ds, but U.S. reluctance to share the
software source code complicated the prospect. In April 2005, Boeing delivered
the first AH-64D to the IAF. In 2001, the U.S. government was allegedly
investigating misuse of the Apache and other US-supplied military equipment
against Palestinian leaders and facilities. In 2009, an arranged sale of six
AH-64Ds was reportedly blocked by the Obama Administration, pending interagency
review, over concerns the helicopters may pose a threat to civilian Palestinians
in Gaza. In IAF service, the AH-64A was named as the Peten (Hebrew: ????, for
Cobra), while the AH-64D was named Saraph (???, also as "Seraph", Hebrew for
venomous/fiery winged serpent).
Specifications (AH-64A/D)
General characteristics
Crew: 2 (pilot, and co-pilot/gunner)
Length: 58.17 ft (17.73 m) (with both rotors turning)
Rotor diameter: 48 ft 0 in (14.63 m)
Height: 12.7 ft (3.87 m)
Empty weight: 11,387 lb (5,165 kg)
Loaded weight: 17,650 lb (8,000 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 23,000 lb (10,433 kg)
Fuselage length: 49 ft 5 in (15.06 m)
Rotor systems: 4 blade main rotor, 4 blade tail rotor in non-orthogonal
alignment
upgraded to T700-GE-701C (for AH-64A/D from 1990), 1,890 shp (1,409 kW)] each
Performance
Never exceed speed: 197 knots (227 mph, 365 km/h)
Maximum speed: 158 knots (182 mph, 293 km/h)
Cruise speed: 143 knots (165 mph, 265 km/h)
Range: 257 nmi (295 mi, 476 km) with Longbow radar mast
Combat radius: 260 nmi (300 mi, 480 km)
Ferry range: 1,024 nmi (1,180 mi, 1,900 km)
Service ceiling: 21,000 ft (6,400 m) minimum loaded
Rate of climb: 2,500 ft/min (12.7 m/s)
Power/mass: 0.18 hp/lb (0.31 kW/kg)
Armament
Weapon Subsystem
Hardpoints: Four pylon stations on the stub wings. Longbows also have a station
on each wingtip for an AIM-92 Stinger twin missile pack.
Rockets: Hydra 70 70 mm, CRV7 70 mm, and APKWS 70 mm air-to-ground rockets
Missiles: Typically AGM-114 Hellfire variants; AIM-92 Stinger and Spike missiles
may also be carried.
Avionics
Lockheed Martin / Northrop Grumman AN/APG-78 Longbow fire-control radar (Note:
can only be mounted on the AH-64D/E)
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