The U.S. Army has no current plans to replace its AH-64 Apache advanced multi-role combat helicopter, according to Military.com citing the commander of the Army’s Aviation Center of Excellence, Maj. Gen. William Gayler.
It is noted that the service life of the Army’s AH-64 helicopters will be extended for at least another three decades.
“Right now, it’s an incredibly capable aircraft that we know we are going to be flying well into the 40s,” Maj. Gen. William Gayler told an audience Wednesday at the Association of the United States Army’s Aviation Hot Topic event.
Although the service will someday replace the AH-64, possibly with an armed version of the Raider or Valor, the commander of the Army’s Aviation Center of Excellence, Maj. Gen. William Gayler, recently said, “the timing of what replaces (the Apache) and the affordability what replaces it has yet to be seen.” The Army is currently buying the latest version of the Apache, the AH-64E Apache Guardian.
An attack helicopter is an armed helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft with the capability of engaging targets on the ground, such as enemy infantry and armoured fighting vehicles. Due to their heavy armament they are sometimes called helicopter gunships.
The AH-64 Apache is the world’s most advanced multi-role combat helicopter and is used by the U.S. Army and a growing number of international defense forces. The United States Army Apache fleet alone has accumulated more than 4.3 million flight hours, including more than 1.2 million in combat, as of January 2018.
Boeing has delivered more than 2,200 Apaches to customers around the world since the aircraft entered production.
Boeing delivered the first U.S. Army Apache AH-64A in January 1984. Since then, the U.S. Army and other nations have received more than 2,200 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. Boeing’s global customers for the Apache include Egypt, Greece, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
