The manufacturer of the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter is looking for ways to keep the famous close air support and tank killer relevant on battlefields well into the mid-21st century. Boeing, which will soon be building more than a hundred Apaches a year for clients around the world, is mapping out upgrades to keep the helicopter a key weapons system for decades to come.
Boeing’s production lines have produced Apache helicopters since the early 1980s. Despite the end of the Cold War, Boeing reps told Aviation Week & Space Technology the company will soon produce more helicopters than ever before, with up to 100 attack helicopters a year anticipated by 2021.
The Apache is generally regarded as the premier attack helicopter worldwide, and is flown by sixteen countries including the United Kingdom, Japan, the Netherlands, and Saudi Arabia. Many countries, including the United States, occasionally remanufacture their Apaches to incorporate the latest technologies, more powerful engines, and other worthy add-ons.
One likely upgrade is the Army’s Improved Turbine Engine, which would increase the Apache’s horsepower to a total of 6,000 shaft horsepower. The ITE’s external dimensions are identical to the Apache’s older T700 engine, making it close to a drop-in fit, while at the same time generating fifty percent more horsepower. This in turn will give the attack helicopter increased agility, speed, and range, especially in “hot and high” environments such as Afghanistan where engine efficiency is reduced.
Another upgrade is a fully digital cockpit using large digital displays with touch screen technology. Digital displays can display information faster than gauges, and it is easier to replace LCD screens than analog gauges, a key consideration on the battlefield. Boeing is also considering voice recognition technology and other interface improvements.
The article doesn't mention an upgrade for the Apache's M230 chain gun, which will probably still be useful against personnel, soft targets, and light armored vehicles into the forseeable future. The Apache will also eventually carry the Joint Air-Ground Missile, a replacement for the Hellfire anti-tank missile.
Other upgrades mentioned by AvWeek include the addition of a propulsor to boost the Apache’s speed, larger wings, and even the installation of laser weaponry.
Source: Aviation Week & Space Technology
Kyle Mizokami is a writer on defense and security issues and has been at Popular Mechanics since 2015. If it involves explosions or projectiles, he's generally in favor of it. Kyle’s articles have appeared at The Daily Beast, U.S. Naval Institute News, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Combat Aircraft Monthly, VICE News, and others. He lives in San Francisco.
