Boeing AH-64D Longbow Apache

Type (Muster)
Attack helicopter (Kampfhubschrauber)

Country (Land)
USA

Manufacturer (Hersteller)
Boeing (Helicopters)
5000 East McDowell Road
Mesa, AZ 85215-9797
USA

Phone: 001-602/891-2119
Fax: 001-602/891-5599

General (Allgemeine Angaben)
Crew (Besatzung): 2 in stepped tandem cockpits, with co-pilot/gunner in front and pilot behind

Weapons (Bewaffnung): The AH-64D features a flexible M230 Chain Gun 30-mm cannon under the fuselage, with a maximum ammunition load of up to 1200 rounds. Four underwing hardpoints are available for loads like
* 16 x Hellfire/Hellfire 2 anti-tank missiles
* 76 x 2.75 in (70 mm) rockets
A planned modification adds another two hardpoints at the wingtips for up to four Stinger, Mistral or Shorts Starstreak air-to-air missiles or two Sidewinders.

Power plant (Antrieb): 2 x General Electric T700-GE-701C turboshafts
Power (Leistung): 2 x 1238 kW (1660 shp) maximum continuous, 1342 kW (1800 shp) for 30 minutes, 1409 kW (1890 shp) for ten minutes and 1447 kW (1940 shp) for 2,5 minutes emergency with one engine inoperative

Dimensions (Abmessungen)
Fuselage length (Rumpflänge): 15,47 m
Length overall, rotor turning (Länge über drehende Rotoren): 17,76 m
Height (Höhe): 4,95 m over radar
Wing span (Spannweite): 5,79 m over wingtip missile pods
Main rotor diameter (Hauptrotordurchmesser): 14,63 m
Tail-rotor diameter (Heckrotordurchmesser): 2,79 m
Main rotor disk (Hauptrotorfläche): 168,1 sq m
Tail rotor disk area (Heckrotorkreisfläche): 6,13 sq m

Weights (Massen)
Empty weight (Leermasse): 5352 kg with Longbow radar fitted
Usable fuel (Kraftstoff): 1421 litres in two fuselage cells, plus 4 x 870 litres in external tanks
Primary mission gross weight (Missionsmasse): 7480 kg
Design mission gross weight: 8006 kg
Max. take-off weight (Max. Startmasse): 10432 kg with full fuel, ferry mission

Performance (Flugleistungen)
Max. cruise speed (Max. Reisegeschwindigkeit): 265 km/h at sea level, 250 km/h on hot day at 1220 m
Max. rate of climb (max. Steigrate): 12,26 m/s at sea level
Max. vertikal rate of climb (max. vertikale Steigrate): 7,5 m/s at sea level, or 5,9 m/s at 1220 m on a hot day
Service ceiling (Dienstgipfelhöhe): 5915 m (19400 ft)
Hovering ceiling (Schwebeflughöhe)
    - out of ground effect (ohne Bodeneffekt): 2890 m at 7530 kg, standard day or 1935 m on a hot day (35 deg C)
    - in ground effect (im Bodeneffekt): 4170 m at 7530 kg, standard day or 2975 m on a hot day (35 deg C)
Maximum range (max. Reichweite): 407 km with standard tanks, 30 min reserve
Ferry range (Überführungsreichweite): 1900 km with external tanks, 45 min reserves
Self deployment (Reichweite bei Verlegung): 1650 km with four external tanks, gun (300 rounds) and four AAMs
Combat radius (Einsatzradius):
    - 533 km for peace keeping mission
    - 392 km for recce mission
    - 237 km for multi-role mission with 8 Hellfire, 38 rockets and four AAMs
Endurance (Einsatzdauer): 2 h 44 min on internal fuel or 8 h on internal and external fuel
g-limits: +3.5/-0.5 at low altitude and speed up to 300 km/h

Costs (Kosten)
Per-unit cost of the upgrade from A to D-standard is put at 5,2 million US-Dollars (of which nearly half is for the radar).
The first 232 helicopters for the US Army were ordered in a multi-year contract worth 1,9 billion US-Dollars. Lot 6 production of 52 AH-64Ds was priced at 412,14 million US-Dollars, meaning a modification cost of 7,9 million US-Dollars per helicopter.
A new Apache sold for approximately 20 million US-Dollars in mid 1998.

Customers (Kunden)
The Longbow Apache variant has been ordered by

US Army: 501, upgraded from existing AH-64As. These were ordered in two multi-year production contracts (232 and 269). It is now expected that the Army wants to modernize around 600 Apaches (but only about 227 will get the Longbow radar). Re-equiped units include:
- Training centre at Fort Rucker, with around 50 Longbow Apache
- 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas (combat-ready 19 November 1998)
- 2nd Battailion, 101st Aviation Regiment, Fort Campbell, Kentucky (combat-ready 28 October 1999)
- 1st Attack Helicopter Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia (certified combat ready on 15 March 2001 after training at Fort Hood)
- 1st Battalion, 2nd Aviation Regiment (Training in Fort Hood, will go to South Korea at the end of 2001)
Royal Air Force: 67. Designated WAH-64D. To be fitted with RTM322 engines (flight tests with the engine have started on 29 May 1998). The choice of the Apache over the Eurocopter Tiger was announced on 13 July 1995. All but the initial eight will be assembled from kits at Yeovil in the UK by GKN Westland. The programme has a cost of around 2 billion Pounds.
Royal Netherlands Air Force: 30 ordered on 24 May 1995, all without the radar. Formal roll-out of the first helicopter on May 15, 1998. The machines will equip 301 and 302 Squadron at Gilze-Rijen airbase.
Egyptian Army: 35 existing AH-64As will be upgraded to the D standard, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2003. Total value of the programme was estimated at 400 Million US-Dollars in March 2001, when the US Army authorized Boeing to procure long-lead items, although a final contract is not yet signed.
Israel: 9 new-built ordered through the US DoD on 19 February 2001. Programme value expected to appraoch 500 million US-Dollars including ordnance, spares, training and support.
Singapore: 8 ordered in June 1999. A preliminary contract for another 12 was concluded in August 2001
Japan: 60 or more possible, but no order yet. The Apache Longbow was selected in August 2001 over the AH-1Z for the AH-X requirement. Deliveries to begin in 2005.

Total AH-64 Apache orders stand at 1034. Of these, 937 were the basic A-model, the last of which was delivered in November 1996. A-Model customers were

US Army: 815, with the last delivered on 30 April 1996
Egypt: 36, delivered from February 1994
Greece: 20, delivered from February 1995
Israel: 18, delivered from September 1990. Also 24 ex-US Army were sent to the country
Saudi Arabia: 12, delivered from April 1993
United Arab Emirates: 30, delivered from October 1993

Competitors (Konkurrenz)
Bell AH-1Z
Eurocopter Tiger
Kamov Ka-50
Mil Mi-28N
Denel Rooivalk

Remarks (Bemerkungen)
The AH-64D is the "next-generation" version of the AH-64A Apache, featuring

Longbow millimetre wave radar (APG-78), developed by Northrop Grumman, with rotating antenna atop the rotor mast. It can detect and classify more than 128 targets, then prioritize the 16 most dangerous.
more powerful -701C engines
larger generators
Doppler navigation system
Mil-Std-1553B databus and dual 1750A processors
RF Hellfire missiles
longer avionics side pods, running to behind the wings.
faster data modem
multi-function displays (first batch was monochrome, but from no. 27 they are colour CRTs)

History (Geschichte)
The full scale development programme for the AH-64D was authorised in August 1990, to last 70 months. Before that, some preparatory work had already been done. The first AH-64A with dummy Longbow radome flew on 11. March 1991. Six AH-64D prototypes followed on
    * 15 April 1992
    * 13 November 1992, fitted with radar in mid 1993
    * 30 June 1993
    * 4 October 1993
    * 19 January 1994, no radar
    * 4 March 1994, no radar
The helicopters were used for extensive tests, including field manoeuvres with US Army pilots in October 1994 and from January to March 1995. Results were reportedly very good, with seven-fold survivability increases over the AH-64A in direct comparison tests.
A pre-production conversion of an AH-64A to D standard was completed in September 1995, and work on the first two series machines began at the end of the year. While the work on the first batch was already under way, McDonnell Douglas signed a five-year, multi-year contract with the US Army in August for 232 AH-64D Apaches.
The first upgraded AH-64D was handed over to the US Army at Mesa on March 31, 1997, two weeks after the formal roll-out ceremony. First flight had been on17 March. By March 1998, the first batch of 24 airframes was completed.
In May 1998, the first AH-64D for teh Royal Netherlands Air Force rolls out at Mesa.
In September 1998, the first WAH-64 Apache Longbor for the UK rolled out at Mesa.
In June 1999, Apache Longbow pilot training transitioned form the Boeing facility at Mesa to Fort Rucker, Alabama.
The 100th remanufactured AH-64D was delivered to the US Army on 9 December 1999.
The first Apache AH1 for the UK Army Air Corps was handed over inApril 2000. On 18 July 2000, the first WAH-64 Apache completed by GKN Westland Helicopters in Yeovil made its first flight.
On 29 September 2000, Boeing and the US Army signed a second five-year, multi-year contract to remanufacture an additional 269 AH-64As into the Apache Longbow configuration through 2006. Value was given at more than 2,3 billion US-Dollars. The first multiyear II helicopters, the sixth lot of US Army Apache Longbows, will come off the production line in early 2002.
In October 2000, the Arrowhead sensor system was choosen to modernise the Apache TADS/PNVS. It should be fitted to all US Army Apaches. The Army awarded a 78,5 million US-Dollar development contract to Team Apache Systems (Boeing, Lockheed Martin).
The Westland Apache AH1 (WAH-64D) entered service with the British Army Air Corps on 16 January 2001, when the Release to Service was signed. This marks teh beginning of pilot training.
In mid-April 2001, US Army pilots delivered the final three of 50 AH-64D for individual pilot training to Fort Rucker, Alabama, bringing the fleet to optimum capacity. At this time, 178 Apache Longbows were fielded by the US Army.
On July 13, 2001, Boeing has flown the first AH-64D Apache Longbow which incorporates avionics and systems upgrades, like commercial off-the-shelf technologies to reduce cost and allow future growth while extending product operational life. The enhancements are to provide a foundation to support Army emerging digitized battlefield requirements.
On 23 August 2001, the US Army accepted its 200th AH-64D Apache Longbow. In addition, 45 next-generation Apaches had been handed over to international customers at that time (21 to the Netherlands and 24 to the UK).
Also on 23 August 2001, the Republic of Singapore signed a letter of offer and acceptance with the US government for 12 additional AH-64Ds.
On 28 August 2001, the Japan Defence Aigency said that it had choosen the AH-64D in preference of the AH-1Z for the AH-X requirement. Around 60 helicopters are needed, but just 10 are in the mid-term defence budget. Deliveries are to start in 2005, and Fuji Heavy Industries will be responsible for licence manufacture. Purchase price is expected to be 50 million US-Dollars per machine.

Last updated 19. August 2001

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