The Boeing Company celebrated delivery of the first AH-64D Apache Block III multi-role attack helicopter to the U.S. Army Nov. 2, 2011 in Mesa.
The AH-64D Apache is the most advanced multi-role combat helicopter for the U.S. Army and a growing number of international defense forces.
Customers: In all, 12 nations fly, have ordered or have selected AH-64D Apache helicopters for their defense forces.
The U.S. Army has ordered more than 600 Apache aircraft through multi-year contracts and follow-on purchases. Boeing delivered the first AH-64D Apache to the Army in April 1997, and the first production AH-64D Apache Block III in October 2011. Follow-on orders and upgrades will keep the Apache in production well into the next decade.
International customers include Egypt, Greece, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, The Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. The first international AH-64D Apache was delivered to the Royal Netherlands Air Force in May 1998, and the first international AH-64D Apache Block III will be delivered in 2012. More than 300 new and remanufactured international AH-64Ds have been delivered or are in production.
General Characteristics:
Length: 58.17 ft (17.73 m)
Height: 15.24 ft (4.64 m)
Wing Span: 17.15 ft (5.227 m)
Primary Mission Gross Weight 15,075 lb (6838 kg)
Hover In-Ground Effect (MRP)
Standard Day: 15,895 ft (4845 m)
Hot Day ISA + 15C: 14,845 ft (4525 m)
Hover Out-of-Ground Effect (MRP)
Standard Day: 12,685 ft (3866 m)
Hot Day ISA + 15C: 11,215 ft (3418 m)
Sea Level Standard Day
Vertical Rate of Climb (MRP): 2,175 fpm (663 mpm)
Maximum Rate of Climb (IRP): 2,915 fpm (889 mpm)
Maximum Level Flight Speed: 150 kt (279 kph)
Cruise Speed (MCP): 150 kt (279 kph)
Hot Day 2,000 ft 70 F (21 C)
Vertical Rate of Climb (MRP): 2,050 fpm (625 mpm)
Maximum Rate of Climb (IRP): 2,890 fpm (881 mpm)
Maximum Level Flight Speed: 153 kt (284 kph)
Cruise Speed (MCP): 153 kt (284 kph)
- Two high-performance turbo-shaft engines and maximum cruise speed of 284 kph
- Laser, infrared, and other systems (including target acquisition designation sight/pilot night vision sensor) to locate, track and attack targets
- A combination of laser-guided precision Hellfire missiles, 70mm rockets, and a 30mm automatic cannon with up to 1,200 high-explosive, dual-purpose ammunition rounds
Background:
The first fully equipped U.S. Army unit with the AH-64D Apache was fielded in November 1998. The U.S. Army fielded its first overseas AH-64D Apache unit in October 2001.
Between 1984 and 1997, Boeing produced 937 AH-64As for the U.S. Army, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
More than 1,800 Apaches have been delivered to customers around the world since the Apache went into production.
The U.S. Army Apache fleet has accumulated more than 3 million flight hours since the first prototype aircraft flew in 1975.
Miscellaneous:
The U.S. Army has fielded AH-64D Apache Longbow units around the world.
As of December 2011, U.S. Army AH-64D Apache helicopters have logged nearly 900,000 combat hours in operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn, and in overseas contingency operations.
Army aviators in the first battalion that will fly the AH-64D Apache Block III helicopters have begun simulator and flight training, with the first class completing training in December 2011.
The Apache performs across the full spectrum of operations as a force multiplier for Combatant Commanders and supports the safe return of troops.
Source: Boeing
Recent News:
Boeing, US Army Mark Delivery of 1st AH-64D Apache Block III Combat Helicopter – November 2, 2011
Boeing Receives US Army Contract for Low Rate Initial Production of AH-64D Apache Block III – October 25, 2010