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| A British Army Apache AH-64D |
The Apache Attack helicopter has become an icon of modern combat, and is a cornerstone of the British Army’s airborne attack capabilities. Designed and produced by Boeing for the US Army, the MoD ordered the AH-64D variant of the Apache in 1995, built under license by Westland (now AgustaWestland owned by Leonardo). The Army purchased 67 of these helicopters, coming in to service from 2004, with 50 currently remaining.
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| Prince Harry famously flew the Apache in Afghanistan |
Since 2004, the Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow has seen a somewhat fruitful career, being one of the main assets to many tours of Libya on former HMS Ocean, thanks to the specialised folding rotors and more powerful Rolls-Royce engines used, that separates them from the US specifications, as well as flying 50,000 hours in Afghanistan with their Hellfire Air-to-Surface missiles and CVR7 rockets, thought to have saved hundreds of British infantry lives.
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| A swarm of British Army Apaches |
In what seems to be a new age of RAF and RN aircraft, the British Army has a new toy too, the AH-64E. 50 helicopters, along with training simulators, support contracts for maintenance and spare parts, have been ordered from Boeing at a price of £1.8 billion. The E variant is already in service with the US, and the British ones should be rolling off the production line in Arizona in 2020, with hopes of them entering service with the Army Air Corps in 2022. In the mean time, the MOD have secured a £293 million deal with Leonardo to maintain the current AH-64 D Apaches for their last five years of service.
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| The Apache AH-64E, currently in service with the US Army, should enter service with the British Army from 2022 |
So what are the differences surrounding them, and what can they bring to the table a current British Apache can’t?
Well, their average maintenance cost is lower per aircraft, something the MoD has recently gravitated towards, partially due to them being new and equipped with more ‘future-proof’ technology like the Modernised Target Acquisition & Designation System in conjunction with retaining proven and reliable weaponry such as the Longbow Fire Control Radar. They have a slightly higher cruising speed with the same amount of range, dependant on operations. This means they can get to more points of interest, having a greater effect on the battlespace. They also are designed to have high interoperability with UAV’s, such as the 20 Protector drones being acquired in 2023, rendering the new Apache to not only be able to engage with targets but now control the airspace surrounding it with this new aerial technology. And it’s planned that in the future the Army’s Apaches, like the Protector, will be equipped with Brimstone Air-to-Surface Missiles. However, some say that the new variant just isn’t a bigger enough step up for the 21st-century requirements, With various companies having offered a modernisation package for the current fleet. As a result, the MoD could have possibly paid less for what the same things they get in the form of the AH-64E.
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