A U.S. Army AH-64E Apache attack helicopter assigned to 1-229 Attack Battalion, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade is flanked by two AH-64E Apache attack helicopters assigned to 11th Squadron, Indonesian Army during a combined arms live fire exercise rehearsal near Baturaja, Indonesia on Aug. 11, 2022 as part of Super Garuda Shield 22. Soldiers from the U.S. Army and Indonesian Army also conducted live-fired the Javelin missile on the ground. They will continue to move into the Combined Live Fire Exercise (CALFEX) phase of the multinational exercise.
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 hardpoints mounted on stub-wing pylons for carrying armament and stores, typically a mixture of AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 rocket pods. The U.S. Army is the primary operator of the AH-64. It has also become the primary attack helicopter of multiple nations.
The AH-64E Guardian is improved digital connectivity, the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System, more powerful T700-GE-701D engines with upgraded face gear transmission to handle more power, capability to control unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), full IFR capability, and improved landing gear. On 26 August 2013, Indonesia and the U.S. finalized a contract for eight AH-64E Apaches worth $500 million. The first was displayed on 5 October 2017 as part of a military exercise in Indonesia, to mark the 72nd anniversary of its armed forces. The first batch of AH-64s for the Indonesian Army arrived in Indonesia on 18 December 2017.
Super Garuda Shield, a part of Operation Pathways and a longstanding annual, bilateral military exercise conducted between the U.S. military, Indonesia National Armed Forces, has now expanded to a multinational exercise encompassing 14 Nations. The exercise will last until August 14, encompassing army, navy, air force, and marine drills. This exercise reinforces the U.S. commitments to allies, and other regional partners reinforcing joint readiness, and the interoperability to fight and win together.
