Summary
The Boeing AH-64 Apache is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. It features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night vision systems. It is armed with a 30 mm (1.18 in) M230 chain gun carried between the main landing gear, under the aircraft's forward fuselage, and four hard points mounted on stub-wing pylons for carrying armament and stores, typically a mixture of AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 rocket pods. The AH-64 has a large amount of systems redundancy to improve combat survivability.
The Apache originally started as the Model 77 developed by Hughes Helicopters for the United States Army's Advanced Attack Helicopter program to replace the AH-1 Cobra. The prototype YAH-64 was first flown on 30 September 1975. The U.S. Army selected the YAH-64 over the Bell YAH-63 in 1976 and later approved full production in 1982. After purchasing Hughes Helicopters in 1984, McDonnell Douglas continued AH-64 production and development. The helicopter was introduced to the U.S. Army service in April 1986. The first production AH-64D Apache Longbow, an upgraded Apache variant, was delivered to the Army in March 1997. Production has been continued by Boeing Defense, Space & Security, with over 2,000 AH-64s being produced by 2013.
The U.S. Army is the primary operator of the AH-64; it has also become the primary attack helicopter of multiple nations, including Greece, Japan, Israel, the Netherlands, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates; as well as being produced under licence in the United Kingdom as the AgustaWestland Apache. American AH-64s have served in conflicts in Panama, the Persian Gulf, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Israel used the Apache in its military conflicts in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip; British and Dutch Apaches have seen deployments in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Powers and Stats
Tier: 9-B with chaingun, 9-B to 9-A with Hellfire missiles and rockets
Name: Boeing AH-64 Apache Helicopter
Origin: The Real World
Serial: Apache Helicopter
Classification: Attack Helicopter
Height: 4.6 meters tall
Weight: 5.1 tons
Pilot(s): U.S. Marines, Army, and Air Force. The Israeli Air Force has some and the British Army have their variation
Required Prerequisite for Use: Crew of 2 (Pilot and Co-Pilot/Gunner)
In use by: U.S. Marines, Army, and Air Force. The Israel Air Force has some along with various other nations
Powered by: Gasoline
Operational Timeframe: Several hours
Terrain: Air
Material: Unknown material
Attack Potency: Wall level with M230 30 mm chaingun (Destroys concrete walls and can perforate most metals), higher in bursts, Wall level with AIM-92 stinger, Wall level+ to Small Building level with the Hellfire and Hydra rockets (Can damage concrete buildings with ease, the hellfire missiles are capable of penetrating main battle tank armor. Most variants of the Hellfire missiles contain 8-9 kg warheads, Hydra 70 warheads are in the Wall level+ to Small Building level range)
Speed: Subsonic flight speed (284 kilometers per hour), with Supersonic+ attack speed with the M230 30 mm chaingun
Lifting Capability: Unknown
Ramming Strength: Wall level+ (It's not used to ram, but it can destroy walls if it crashes at full speed/hit with the blades)
Durability: Wall level+ (Can take a beating from small arms fire, requiring a rocket launcher, grenade, or AAA to feasibly down it. The compartment and rotary blades are capable of taking 23 mm rounds, with a self sealing fuel system to further bolster protection against ballistic projectiles, and the aircraft has a total of 1100 kg of protecting armor around the mainframe, making it highly resistant to ballistic strikes)
Range: Hundreds of Meters with a chain gun, Kilometers with missiles/rockets
Weaknesses: If the blades are damaged the helicopter will be useless, or it will crash, if the pilot tilts the helicopter even a little by accident he/she will make it crash
Weaponry:
- M230 chain gun: Located under the fuselage. It provides a rate of fire of 625 rounds a minute. The helicopter has the capacity for up to 1,200 rounds of ammunition.
- AGM-114 Hellfire Air-To-Surface Missile
- Hydra 70: It is a family of 2.75in unguided air-to-surface rockets derived from the Mk 4/Mk 40 Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket (FFAR) developed in the 1940s. It is the most commonly used helicopter-launched weapon system in the world. The rockets are used to perform various roles, including anti-material, anti-personnel, air-to-ground suppression, and illumination.
- CRV7
- APKWS: Laser-guided rocket compatible with existing Hydra-70 rockets to turn them into precision guided munitions
- AIM-92 Stinger: Air-to-Air version of the FIM-92 Stinger MANPADS
Discussions
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