Boeing’s recently announced Modernized Apache concept is a quantum leap ahead compared to the existing AH-64E Apache attack helicopter, which is slated to remain in production until at least 2028 and serve the U.S. Army and its partner nations as the world’s primary attack helicopter into the 2060s.
The Modernized Apache concept is being offered to the U.S. Army as a dominant, affordable concept built on the combat-proven Apache platform that represents the next evolution of the current AH-64E v6.
With the U.S. Army looking to maintain its rotorcraft dominance in future Multi-Domain Operations (MDO), Boeing understood that the Apache needs to be optimized to complement the next-generation platforms in the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) ecosystem.
The Modernized Apache concept is capable of seamlessly and effectively meeting the Army’s evolving attack and reconnaissance requirements — including increased agility, interoperability, lethality, survivability and reach. It also leverages on the established, worldwide industrial base already mature and in place to support future Apache engineering, manufacturing, development and production.
The Modernized Apache will embrace and integrate cutting-edge technology to keep delivering the options and tools needed to support Soldiers on the ground. Boeing is offering six modernization elements within the framework for the Apache’s evolution into the Modernized concept to offer the blueprint for continued dominance.
The modernization elements are drivetrain upgrades to unlock Improved Turbine Engine (ITE) capabilities for enhanced power, range, efficiency and speed; a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) for maximum interoperability, and faster integration and fielding of advanced capabilities; advanced mission systems to increase interoperability to the network and to reduce pilot cognitive strain and workload during operations; advanced sensors and sensor fusion for better and more resilient connectivity across domains and operations in all environmental conditions; airborne long-range precision munitions; air launched effects (ALE) and potential future directed energy weapon system integration for increased lethality; and advanced sustainment through a more capable and lower life cycle cost airframe, as well as affordable remanufacture and minimized procurement costs.
Accelerating the Digital Revolution
The Modernized Apache, will be digitally advanced, simply and efficiently produced and intelligently supported, leveraging Boeing’s 30-plus years of experience in digital engineering to offer an industry-leading, end-to-end digital lifecycle that will enable unprecedented speed and agility.
Boeing’s AH-64A first entered service in 1984 and is now operational with the U.S. Army in its AH-64E Version 6, or v6. The AH-64E Version 6 is the most modern configuration of the Apache and is ready for the MDO battlefield. The network-centric, fully integrated weapon system was specifically built to dominate in highly contested and complex battle space. The Version 6 Apache includes multiple enhancements to the aircraft’s sensors, software and weapons performance.
Designed for interoperability within the ecosystem of Joint All Domain Operations (JADO), the AH-64E v6 is a lethal, survivable and agile system providing the range, maneuverability and performance needed by ground forces and contributes to current and future joint mission success.
Since the first AH-64 took flight, no other helicopter in the world has been able to match its unique mix of versatility and operationally-proven, mature, low-risk and affordable capabilities — the Apache is still the most dominant and advanced multi-mission helicopter in the world. Continuous modernization has yielded unprecedented advances in lethality, survivability and network connectivity to deliver sustained dominance on an increasingly complex, multi-domain battlefield.
More than 1,200 Apache helicopters are in operation, having accumulating over 4 million flight hours, 1.3 million of which have been in combat.
The U.S. Army took delivery of its first AH-64A Apache in January 1984 since then, the U.S. Army and other nations have taken delivery of 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.
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