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The United States has reportedly denied a request by Israel to acquire a new batch of Apache attack helicopters. The request from Israel comes days after Ukraine made a similar appeal for the lethal choppers. The request for Apaches was reportedly made in recent weeks and re-emphasized by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to Israel earlier this month, local Israeli media has reported. However, the reports fell short of specifying when the request was first made. Citing security sources, the reports stated that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has requested Apache attack helicopters from the United States but has been...

WASHINGTON: Few purchases are more demonstrative of the changing nature of US-India ties than the deal that will result in the gradual makeover of the Indian military's helicopter fleet from a largely Russian line-up to a mostly American one. From choppy to chipper could well be the title of this saga, as India's defense minister Manohar Parrikar arrived in Washington DC for his sixth meeting in less than two years with his US counterpart on Monday, with a sortie thrown in to a chopper manufacturing facility in nearby Philadelphia, where Boeing makes the CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters. With 15 on...

The AH-64A/D Apache and AH-64E Block III Apache Longbow (renamed Guardian) are four-blade twin-engine attack helicopters manufactured by Boeing. The Apache was originally developed by Hughes Helicopters in the 1970s (first flight on September 30, 1975), however, the company was acquired by McDonnell Douglas in 1984. In 1997, McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing. The latest variant, the AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopter (originally designated AH-64D Block III), is powered by two General Electric T700-GE-701D turboshaft engines with 1,994 shp each. The AH-64D/E models are based on the original AH-64A, which was deployed in 1984 and first used in combat in 1989...

The U.S. Army is engineering its Apache AH-64 attack helicopters with additional avionics, radar and sensor technology to perform better in maritime environments, service officials said Monday at the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington D.C. “We’re looking at sensor upgrades to the fire control radar and adding a maritime feature to the Apache. We want to extend the radar and broaden its bandwidth to pick up things in a littoral (shallow water) environment and detect small ships in the water,” said Army Col. Jeff Hager, Apache program manager. The Army plans to test...

WASHINGTON — The U.S. has begun using Apache AH-64 attack helicopters to strike at ISIS targets inside Iraq, the first time the aircraft have been used for offensive strikes since arriving in Baghdad in early July. Their use opens up a new capability in the airstrike campaign against ISIS in Iraq, but one that also comes with risks, as they could be vulnerable to ground fire. A defense official confirms that Apache helicopters were used this weekend as part of four airstrikes on a large ISIS force northeast of Fallujah. The attack was conducted in coordination with Air Force fighter...

The government has approved the raising of three squadrons of the iconic American-made Apache attack helicopters for the Indian Army. This marks a big win for the Army in its epic war with the Indian Air Force (IAF) for the control of helicopter gunships. "The Army will get 39 Apache attack helicopters at an estimated cost of over $2.5 billion after the first tranche of 22 of these gunships, currently being negotiated with the US, is delivered to the IAF," disclosed an exultant officer at Army Headquarters. All future acquisitions of attack helicopters will thereafter be for the Army, an...

The Hellfire Missile is great, but personally, I love it when the 30mm Chain Gun is employed. The first few shots may miss some of the bad guys, so they try to run away, praying to Allah for "mercy" the whole time. But then, they all die tired and breathless, knowing Allah has failed them. Actually, not all die, but it's always great to leave a few survivors to tell everyone else what happens when you mess with Army Aviation.

Navy Eyes Apache Helo's Guns for Use at Sea The Navy is looking at arming its patrol boats and helicopters with the same withering firepower carried aboard the Army’s AH-64 Apache gunship helicopters. ATK Armament Systems has modified its venerable M230 30mm chain gun to give naval forces a more potent alternative to the .50 caliber machine gun. For years, the Navy has admired the Apache’s powerful, nose-mounted 30mm cannon, but the Navy’s strict safety guidelines make the M230’s electrically-primed firing system unsafe for use aboard surface vessels. As a potential solution, the Navy awarded ATK a contract roughly two...

Night Hunter: An all-new combat helicopter January 17, 2012 Vladimir Podymov, Military-Industrial Review Mi-28N, also called the Night Hunter, may have lost the Indian tender, but is brimming with ambitious plans to upgrade this all-season combat machine and conquer new markets The global market for helicopter machinery is one of the biggest in both the civil and military segments, and customers are very demanding. A striking example of the fierce competition in this market is the Indian defence ministry’s recent international tender for 22 attack helicopters. Although New Delhi is Russia’s strategic partner in military and technical cooperation, India gave...

Report: India to buy attack helicopters from Boeing, not Russia Oct 25, 2011, 12:14 GMT Moscow - India is expected to purchase new attack helicopters from US aerospace giant Boeing rather than Russia, the Interfax news agency reported on Tuesday, citing a person familiar with the arms acquisition project. Indian Defence Ministry officials in New Delhi refused to either confirm or deny the report, saying the deal would need more time to be finalized. India decided to buy AH-64D Apache helicopters instead of Russian Mi-28 Havoc helicopters as part of a planned 2.5-billion-dollar programme to upgrade India's military helicopter fleet,...

Taiwan's AH-64 deal: a knife for a gunfight By Greg Waldron on June 13, 2011 Some years back I toured the USS Nimitz . Somebody in the group asked the officer showing us around about the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow launcher. "If it ever gets to the point we need to use that, we're already dead," he replied. The same could be said of last week's news that Taiwan will purchase 30 Boeing AH-64 Block III attack helicopters from the United States. There is little doubt about the Apache's effectiveness in combat over the last two decades in conditions where its...

Taiwan buys 30 AH-64 Apaches By Stephen Trimble Taiwan will receive 30 Boeing AH-64 Block III Apache helicopters under a new contract signed with the US government, a US Army official announced on 10 June. The order marks the latest show of US military support to Taiwan despite deep objections by China, and confirms the first international customer for the AH-64 Block III. Col Shane Openshaw, the army's AH-64 project manager, said Taiwan's first new-build helicopter will enter production in October, with the rest of the aircraft sprinkled through Boeing's production programme. ©RAF The AH-64 Block III deal is known...

By almost any standard, US Army aviation has never looked in better shape. With an annual budget of $7 billion, three active production lines for manned helicopters and the Afghanistan war emphasising the value of vertical lift, the army's pocket of aviators enjoy unprecedented support. The long-term outlook for the army's aviation branch, however, is not ideal. No new combat helicopter has entered service in nearly 30 years. All three active production lines are scheduled to shut-down within the next 15 years. Fielding a new vertical lift technology could take billions of dollars and more than a decade, but the...

Behind every battle-winning Apache in Afghanistan is a team of unsung heroes working tirelessly to ensure the British Army's gunship is fully serviced, fuelled and fitted with the fire power to take on the Taliban. While specialist support crews in theatre conduct the day-to-day maintenance on the hi-tech helicopter, the aircraft also has a legion of engineering experts poised for action in the UK. Based at Attack Helicopter HQ in Wattisham, a highly-skilled group of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) craftsmen work alongside civilian contractors to run a Depth Support Unit (DSU) - an organisation charged with keeping the...

U.S. Congress Asked to Pre-Approve Apache Block III Sale to India India is interested in buying 22 AH-64D Block III APACHE Helicopters from the USA. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency has notified Congress on a possible Foreign Military Sale of these helicopters, as part of a package worth about US$1.4 billion. The Indians are evaluating the Block III Apache among several other options for the Air Forces’ next generation attack helicopter. The Indians are also considering the Russian Mil-28N Havoc as an alternative replacement for the Indian Air Force’s Mi-25s. The domestically developed Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) is not an...

The LONGBOW Limited Liability Company, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman , has received a $26.8 million contract from the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command for LONGBOW Fire Control Radar (FCR) Life Cycle Contractor Support. The follow-on contract includes integrated logistics for the 246 LONGBOW FCR systems in the U.S. Army inventory. Under this contract, LONGBOW LLC will also provide worldwide sustainment for the U.S. Army and Army National Guard. The contract includes options that could extend the Life Cycle Contractor Support through 2012. “This contract leverages existing Apache sensor support infrastructure to create an affordable...

Boeing has responded to an Air Force / Ministry of Defence Request for Proposal (RFP) for 22 attack helicopters and has offered the Boeing AH-64 Apache Longbow attack helicopter platform for this requirement. The Indian Air Force has conducted field trials for the Apache Longbow helicopters, which offer a range of capabilities including lethal attack, peacekeeping, reconnaissance over land and sea.

Taiwan on Wednesday welcomed the confirmation of its purchase of a fleet of advanced US attack helicopters, saying it would boost its defences even as it seeks improved ties with mainland China. The US Department of Defense announced Tuesday that defence contractor Boeing acquired the contract to sell 30 Apache AH-64D Longbow helicopters to Taiwan, and that it was required to deliver them in 2014. The deal "will certainly help beef up Taiwan's naval, anti-landing and ground-warfare capabilities," Defence Ministry spokesman Yu Sy Tue told AFP, adding that the deal was evidence of Taiwan's determination to defend itself

U.S. Army has established a second source (General Dynamics) for 30mm cannon ammunition. This is to insure there are no interruptions in deliveries, and some competition when it comes to production quality and price. The U.S. Army is using over half a million 30mm cannon rounds a year for its AH-64 Apache helicopter gunships. Each round costs over $100. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the most accurate cannon fire comes from the 30mm autocannon on the AH-64 helicopter, and such support is very popular. This is partly because of the increased emphasis on reducing civilian casualties. During the heaviest combat in...

The Army is planning to retool its combat aviation brigades by altering some of the units' combination of aircraft and by adding drones. The aim is to convert all of the brigades to the “medium” combination of aircraft, which Kelly Pate, Army public affairs officer at Fort Rucker, Ala., said allows the commander “maximum flexibility.” Aviation brigades fall into three categories: — Heavy: Two AH-64 Apache attack helicopter battalions, one UH-60 Black Hawk assault battalion and one CH-47 Chinook support battalion. — Medium: One AH-64 Apache battalion, one OH-58D Kiowa reconnaissance squadron, one UH-60 Black Hawk assault battalion and one...