Boeing to rebuild and upgrade United Kingdom AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to latest versions
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – Military helicopter designers at the Boeing Co. will rebuild 38 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters for the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence, and upgrade the aircraft to the latest AH-64E configuration.
Officials of the U.S. Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., announced a $488.1 million order last week to the Boeing Defense, Space & Security segment in Mesa, Ariz., to remanufacture 38 AH-64 Apache aircraft for United Kingdom military forces.
The order includes three Longbow crew trainers and helicopter spare parts. Remanufacture means to rebuild existing Apache helicopters to like-new condition with upgrades to bring the aircraft to the Apache's latest version.
The AH-64 Apache is a multirole combat helicopter with integrated avionics and weapons, as well as advanced digital communications to enable real-time, secure transfer of battlefield information to air and ground forces.
Related: Army orders 117 rebuilt AH-64E Apache attack helicopters in $922.6 million deal
The E-model Apache Guardian features enhanced performance, joint digital operability, improved survivability and cognitive decision aiding, and reduced operating and support costs, Boeing officials say. The AH-64E Apache, is being delivered to the U.S. Army, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and to other international defense forces.
Formerly known as AH-64D Block III, the AH-64E Guardian has improved digital connectivity, the joint tactical radio system (JTRS), more powerful T700-GE-701D engines with upgraded transmission to accommodate more power, capability to control unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), new composite rotor blades, instrument flight rules (IFR) capability, and improved landing gear.
The AH-64E has self-diagnostic abilities, Link-16 data linking, and updated Longbow radar with oversea capacity that could enable naval strikes.
Versions of the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter have been in service with the U.S. Army since 1986. It is a four-blade, twin-engine attack helicopter with a tandem cockpit for a two-person crew.
It has a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night vision systems. It is armed with a 30-millimeter M230 Chain Gun carried between the main landing gear, under the aircraft's forward fuselage.
It has four hardpoints mounted on stub-wing pylons, typically carrying a mixture of AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and rockets. The helicopter was designed to replace the Bell AH-1 Cobra as the Army's primary attack helicopter. The U.S. Marine Corps still operates late-model versions of the AH-1 Cobra.
On this order, Boeing will do the work in Mesa, Ariz., and should be finished by May 2024. For more information contact Boeing Defense, Space & Security online at www.boeing.com/defense, or the Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal at acc.army.mil/contractingcenters/acc-rsa/.
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John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
