The Apache Gunship Facts & Images

An AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter flies over the desert terrain between Tall'Afar and Mosul, Iraq, June 14. — An AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter flies over the desert terrain between Tall’Afar and Mosul, Iraq, June 14.

The Boeing AH-64 Apache is an attack helicopter which has a tandem cockpit for a two-man crew.

It’s armed with a 30 mm M230 chain gun carried under the aircraft’s forward fuselage. On the stub-wing pylons, there are four hardpoints mounted which typically carry a mixture of Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 rocket pods.

The Apache prototype had it’s maiden flight on 30 September 1975, in 1982 it was approved for production and it entered service in April 1986 replacing the AH-1 Cobra. Over 2000 have been built since, and tt has been in continuous production.

It saw combat for the first time in Panama, in 1989 and saw action in every conflict since.

During Operation Desert Storm, the liberation of Kuwait, the Apache’s launched the first strike when they took out Iraqis radar network.

A U.S. Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter prepares to depart Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Jan. 7, 2012. The Apache conducts distributed operations, precision strikes against relocatable targets, and provides armed reconnaissance when required in day, night, obscured battlefield and adverse weather conditions.

A total of 277 AH-64s took part in During the 100-hour ground war, destroying 278 tanks, a large number of armored personnel carriers, and other Iraqi vehicles. Only one AH-64 was lost when it was hit by an RPG at close range, the Apache crashed but the crew survived, a testimony to the design.

Roughly 450 to 500 Iraqis, the better part of an Iraqi infantry battalion, surrendered to Apache gunships, which were armed with rapid-fire 2.75-inch rockets.

Pictures

051021-F-2828D-284 A U.S. Army AH-64D Longbow Apache, 1st Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, Fort Campbell Ky., provides ground forces with air support from Forward Operating Base Speicher Iraq, Oct. 21, 2005, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Andy Dunaway) (Released) The 1st Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, the ÒExpect No MercyÓ Battalion, is the premier attack helicopter battalion in the United States Army. Its lethal fleet of 24 Ah-64D Longbow Apaches is currently conducting combat operations in Northern Iraq, caring on a long tradition of excellence among Army Aviation. 1-101st first gained notoriety during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, when it fired the first shots of the Gulf War during Operation Normandy, destroying key Iraqi radar sites and creating a safe corridor for US aircraft to commence the air campaign. The battalion again proved itself during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003-2004, conducting several mobile strike deep attacks during major combat operations followed by eight months of quick reaction force (QRF), reconnaissance, and VIP security missions during stability and support operations (SASO). After a rigorous 19 months of training and maintenance back at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the ÒExpect No MercyÓ battalion deployed to Iraq for its second OIF tour. Since arriving in Iraq, the battalion has conducted an aggressive Relief-in-Place/Transfer-of-Authority (REP/TOA) with 8-229th Aviation Regiment from Fort Knox, Kentucky. The battalion is on track to fly over 1000 combat hours in October, and is already making an impact on operations in Iraq. Initial combat missions involved teams of two ÒNo MercyÓ aircraft along with one 8-229th aircraft conducting local area orientations (LAO) to familiarize aircrews with the environment, geography, and unity on the ground. By no means was an LAO an administrative mission though: while on orientations, aircrews participated in numerous reconnaissance missions to

An AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter from 1st Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, based at Forward Operating Base Speicher, Iraq.

AH-64 Apache in flight

The 30 mm canon (M230 Chain gun) under the fuselage

An AH-64 firing flares

Weapon loadout of the AH-64 Apache

Capt. Sean Spence, the commander of B Co. TF Eagle, rides shotgun on an AH-64 Apache during an Apache extraction exercise Aug. 25 at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo.

AH-64 during an extraction exercise at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, 2007. Note the soldier on the avionics bay

Photo by Chief Warrant Officer 4 Daniel McClinton, 1st ACB October 15, 2007 An AH-64D Apache from Company B, 1st "Attack" Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, flies over a residential area in the Multi-National Division-Baghdad area Oct. 12. The Apache crew was conducting a reconnaissance mission to keep an eye out for enemy mortar and anti-aircraft systems.

AH-64D Apache flying over Baghdad, Iraq in 2007, on a reconnaissance mission Photo Credit

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Israeli Air Force AH-64D “Saraph” during an exercise with the Hellenic Air Force in 2011.

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UK Army Air Corps Westland WAH-64D Apache Longbow displays at a UK airshow

A Royal Netherlands Army AH-64D Apache – Photo Credit

IAF AH-64A Pete – Photo Credit

An AH-64E Apache from 1st Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, takes off from its landing pad after arming and refueling during the unit’s rotation at the National Training Center on Fort Irwin, Calif., May 21.

050201-N-6019M-001 Atlantic Ocean (Feb. 1, 2005) - A U.S. Army AH-61 Apache helicopter prepares to launch from the flight deck aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Nassau (LHA 4) during Joint Shipboard Weapon Ordnance (JSWORD) training. The JSWORD exercise provided an excellent opportunity for Navy and Army ordnance personnel to work together in a joint training environment. The AH-64 Apache is a twin-engine, four bladed, multi-mission attack helicopter designed as a highly stable aerial weapons-delivery platform. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 1st Class Brian McFadden (RELEASED)

Atlantic Ocean (Feb. 1, 2005) – A U.S. Army AH-61 Apache helicopter prepares to launch from the flight deck aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Nassau (LHA 4) during Joint Shipboard Weapon Ordnance (JSWORD) training. The JSWORD exercise provided an excellent opportunity for Navy and Army ordnance personnel to work together in a joint training environment. The AH-64 Apache is a twin-engine, four bladed, multi-mission attack helicopter designed as a highly stable aerial weapons-delivery platform. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 1st Class Brian McFadden.

U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade fire on targets from an Army AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter during a combined arms live-fire operation at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Bavaria, Germany, June 27th, 2014, as part of exercise Combined Resolve II. Combined Resolve II is a U.S.-led combined arms exercise designed to prepare U.S. and European forces for multinational operations. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Bryan Rankin)

Apache Attack Helicopter Takes Off from HMS Ocean

An Army Air Corps Apache attack helicopter takes off from the deck of the Royal Navy’s amphibious assault helicopter carrier HMS Ocean, the first to do so for 5 years. HMS Ocean was conducting training off the coast of Suffolk, enabling the helicopters to have a short journey back to their base at RAF Wattisham. – Photo Credit

An Apache Attack helicopter of the Army Air Corps in Afghanistan fires rockets at insurgents during a patrol in 2008. – Photo Credit

AgustaWestland Apache AH1 10

Visible in this shot of Silverbell AHP are six OH-58A Kiowa & nineteen AH-64D Apache gunships. Silverbell Army Heliport, Pinal Air Park, Marana, Arizona. Via Flickr