AH-64 Apache Projects

AN/AWW-14(V) said:
The U.S. Army has carried out flight tests with a new wide field-of-view helmet-mounted display (HMD) that could be fielded on the AH-64E.

The system was demonstrated on an AH-64E Version 6 over 23 flights. A total of 17 pilots from Redstone Test Center (RTC), 101st Airborne Division, and the Army Capability Management – Recon Attack participated in the testing.

Click to expand...

After 4 decades ....thats great am sure many an AH-64A/D/E crew have had the pains

So please check out lol @44:45

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jts8xUF0L1U
 
Grey Havoc said:
In other words the poor ADF are about to have yet another disaster on their already overfilling plates.
Click to expand...
Nothing "poor ADf" about it Grey Havoc. The ADF irrefutably know and have contributed to this/these operational platform disasters, as they're the making of their own doing!
The old adage is ringing true - If you live outside your means, you're eventually pay for it. And the ADF/Australian Army has paid for it in not being able to seriously deploy it's Tiger's in combat zones, because they can't maintain them in peace time.

Regards
Pioneer
 
Last edited:
AN/AWW-14(V) said:
The U.S. Army has carried out flight tests with a new wide field-of-view helmet-mounted display (HMD) that could be fielded on the AH-64E.

The system was demonstrated on an AH-64E Version 6 over 23 flights. A total of 17 pilots from Redstone Test Center (RTC), 101st Airborne Division, and the Army Capability Management – Recon Attack participated in the testing.

Click to expand...
Finally, they've solved the left-eye dominance problem.

1630667446546.png
 
I recall reading about a plan to upgrade the M230 and introduce improved ammunition for it a few years ago. I think there may have even been discussion of airburst capability. Did anything ever come of this?
 
Colonial-Marine said:
I recall reading about a plan to upgrade the M230 and introduce improved ammunition for it a few years ago. I think there may have even been discussion of airburst capability. Did anything ever come of this?
Click to expand...
Nope ... well not yet I don't think.
 
4-jpg.665899


AN/AWW-14(V) said:
Northrop Grumman Armament Systems is expected, in early 2020, to conduct the first demonstration firings to the US Army of an all-up Programmable Light Weight 30 mm Proximity Sensing Ammunition (LW30 PROX) round.

A company-funded development, drawing on legacy Orbital ATK sensor fuzed weapons technologies, the LW30 PROX is a 30 × 113 mm radio frequency (RF) proximity fuzed, high explosive/fragmentation round designed for the M230 and M230LF (XM914) Bushmaster chain guns. Weighing 350 g, including a 245 g projectile, the LW30 PROX features a PA520 electric primer, a Northrop Grumman-developed programmable proximity sensor, and double base propellant delivering a muzzle velocity of 1,105 m/s.
Click to expand...

first public media release:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuV7Pd4dheI

XM1211 HIGH EXPLOSIVE PROXIMITY (HEP)

453.jpg
 
Last edited:
With a frangible 30mm it is possible that Apache will be able to use the cannon for CUAS efforts. Used in conjunction with the fire control radar this might be possible.
 
I'm not certain if this is the right place to ask but does anyone here know if the forward-facing glass panels on the AH-64 are "ballistically tolerant"? Would they provide some protection against rifle caliber fire at the least? The side panels clearly are just some form of plexiglass but I've heard different things about those front two flat panels.

I just find it hard to believe they wouldn't used armored glass for those areas, especially considering all of the combat experience from Vietnam prior to the AAH program. The first AH-1 prototype had armored glass but it was too heavy, yet the initial AH-64 with its two engines should have had a comfortable margin of engine power to work with.
 
The pilot and gunner forward transparencies appear to be basically like auto windscreen glass -- two layers or tempered glass with a plastic film between them.

The blast shield between the pilot and gunner is polycarbonate and should be somewhat ballistically protective. Yeah, that seems weird to me too, but that's what the manufacturer says.

TRANSPARENCY PRODUCTS BY PPG FOR THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY - PPG Industries - Aerospace

Welcome to the introduction page of PPG Aerospace, a global leader in providing innovative and cutting-edge solutions for the aerospace industry. With a rich history spanning several decades, PPG Aerospace has established itself as a trusted partner and supplier to major aircraft manufacturers...
www.ppgaerospace.com www.ppgaerospace.com
 

Attachments

  • boeing_apache_-AH64-12021Final.pdf
    708.5 KB · Views: 35
Spike-NLOS-AH-64E1-1024x516.jpg


Lockheed Martin won a contract valued $139 million to perform user operational assessment of Israel's Spike non-line-of-sight missile system.

"Lockheed Martin Corp., Orlando, Florida, was awarded a $138.9 million other transaction agreement for federation, testing and user operational assessments of the Spike non-line-of-sight missile system," a U.S. DoD release dated February 10 said.

Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida; and Haifa, Israel, with an estimated completion date of January 30, 2025.

Lockheed Martin has teamed with Israeli form Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. to offer the weapon system to U.S. customers.

Defense World

View News at Defense World
www.defenseworld.net www.defenseworld.net
 
Not sure this is quite the right thread but, surprisingly, search doesn't seem to show any other real threads about the Apache and I was wondering about something that didn't really rate its own one.

I noticed that the OH-58 entered into service a year ahead of the AH-64. Does anyone know if there was ever any thought given to fitting something similar to the Kiowa's Mast Mounted Sight (MMS) to the Apache? The ability to fire off Hellfire missiles and hide behind cover would seem like a good ability to have.
 
Siberia said:
Not sure this is quite the right thread but, surprisingly, search doesn't seem to show any other real threads about the Apache and I was wondering about something that didn't really rate its own one.

I noticed that the OH-58 entered into service a year ahead of the AH-64. Does anyone know if there was ever any thought given to fitting something similar to the Kiowa's Mast Mounted Sight (MMS) to the Apache? The ability to fire off Hellfire missiles and hide behind cover would seem like a good ability to have.
Click to expand...
I believe when the AAH program had begun it was considered but ruled out since the technology wasn't quite there yet and the program wasn't expected to take as long as it did in reality.

I'd presume the idea behind what ultimately resulted in the Longbow radar and AGM-114L started sometime in the 1980s so by the time the AH-64A entered service they were probably more interested in that idea than adding a mast mounted sight.
 
Siberia said:
Not sure this is quite the right thread but, surprisingly, search doesn't seem to show any other real threads about the Apache and I was wondering about something that didn't really rate its own one.

I noticed that the OH-58 entered into service a year ahead of the AH-64. Does anyone know if there was ever any thought given to fitting something similar to the Kiowa's Mast Mounted Sight (MMS) to the Apache? The ability to fire off Hellfire missiles and hide behind cover would seem like a good ability to have.
Click to expand...

AH-64E Apache Guardian | Military-Today.com

The AH-64E attack helicopter is the latest version of the AH-64, used by the US Army. It is also known as Apache Guardian. It is the world's premier attack helicopter.
www.military-today.com
 

Attachments

  • ah_64e.jpg
    ah_64e.jpg
    56.2 KB · Views: 161
At the risk of sounding cynical, if they did that, mast mounted sight on the Apache, why would you need an OH-58D? Seriously, the original OH-58D was unarmed. It was crewed by one aviator and one field artillery observer (they were really good). So while they could lase for AGM they had none to shoot. Mostly they were to send grid coordinates to the artillery. So it was to be a symbiotic (today we call it an ecosystem) relationship with the two helicopters.
 
Last edited:
aonestudio said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1463462500171718657
View: https://twitter.com/JanesINTEL/status/1463462500171718657
Click to expand...

Go back 3 and half decades and the pen was literally hovering over the order by the Bundeswehr for the AH-64 as they were so impressed by the visit to SHAPE HQ in the early 80s. I know this because one of the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation (AH-1F/S/OH^A/UH-1H I am a member btw)) a retired army aviator told me he was involved in the then McD pitch to NATO. However politics and pressure by then Aerospatiale/MBB over the Tigre development (which did get briefly canned ) killed that idea,

Has anyone on here have any artists impression or graphics or how an AH-64 would look in Heeresflieger (German Army Aviation) please?

cheers
 
So I don't know if this is the right place to ask but Wikipedia clams that the marines wanted the replace the cobras with the apache in the early 80's but congress wouldn't pay for navalization so the marines whent with the super cobras instead. Anybody have more info on this is or is this gust Wikipedia being Wikipedia.
 
The USMC did examine Apache. They had two Captains embedded in one of the Apache battalions for several years. While it is plausable that Congress might have made the decision, recall that USMC wanted V-22 as well. The decision might have been that the Congress told the USMC "You get $XXX for Aviation. You decide, Marines, on how to spend it."
No doubt Bell assured the USMC, it could integrate Apache weapons capability onto an AH-1 platform.
 
www.defensenews.com

US Army lacks plan to modernize Apache helicopter, lawmakers say

The Apache attack helicopter is expected to fly all the way into 2050, but the Army has not articulated its plans to modernize the aircraft. The House Armed Services Committee wants to see a more concrete plan from the service on the helicopter's way forward.
www.defensenews.com www.defensenews.com
 
US Army launches Apache's Digital twin program:

The U.S. Army Aviation enterprise is collaborating with Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research to develop an Apache Digital Twin in a contract that kicked off with an event on July 29, 2022.

The Apache Digital Twin program follows the Black Hawk Digital Twin, which took an existing helicopter apart and scanned each part to create 3D models. It’s a laborious process. but one that is necessary to continue moving the aviation enterprise from its current 2D, document-driven engineering practices to the use of modern 3D digital engineering practices, to supporting the transition to Future Vertical Lift’s entirely digital design, and to sustaining the enduring fleet.
Click to expand...

www.army.mil

Collaboration with academia moving Army Aviation into the future

WICHITA, Kan. — The U.S. Army Aviation enterprise is collaborating with Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research to develop a...
www.army.mil www.army.mil
 
AH-64E V6 has been out for more than a year, so I'm not sure why the big PR push now.

But this picture appears to add some things that are not in the fielded v6. Most obvious is the third pylon carrying ALE on an extended stub wing. And the other side has a possible laser weapon pod -- that's not a fuel tank with that hemispherical fairing.
 
I didn't knew that ITE was already packed into an existing model as to my knowledge, this is new
 
“A dominant, affordable concept built on the combat-proven Apache platform that represents the next evolution of the current AH-64E v6.”
 
TomS said:
But this picture appears to add some things that are not in the fielded v6. Most obvious is the third pylon carrying ALE on an extended stub wing. And the other side has a possible laser weapon pod -- that's not a fuel tank with that hemispherical fairing.
Click to expand...
I think they are just stubby fuel tanks. The Apache banking towards the cliff has two on the right wing. Maybe the stores are carried asymmetrically to prevent damage to the external fuel tanks? Saying that, it would make sense to have a laser weapon inside a similar pod.
 
SteveO said:
TomS said:
But this picture appears to add some things that are not in the fielded v6. Most obvious is the third pylon carrying ALE on an extended stub wing. And the other side has a possible laser weapon pod -- that's not a fuel tank with that hemispherical fairing.
Click to expand...
I think they are just stubby fuel tanks. The Apache banking towards the cliff has two on the right wing. Maybe the stores are carried asymmetrically to prevent damage to the external fuel tanks? Saying that, it would make sense to have a laser weapon inside a similar pod.
Click to expand...

All the tanks I can find in photos are somewhat pointed.
 

Attachments

  • 6d0fe81b806e42094232d776bac996e9.jpg
    6d0fe81b806e42094232d776bac996e9.jpg
    34.3 KB · Views: 85
  • ah64d001.jpg
    ah64d001.jpg
    37.8 KB · Views: 81
www.army-technology.com

Modernised Apache concept would feature ITEP engine (Correct)

Boeing is looking at what capabilities the Apache could field in the future, with the type expected to stay in service for years to come.
www.army-technology.com www.army-technology.com

Boeing Unveils Vision For Future AH-64 Apache Upgrades | Aviation Week Network

The Modernized Apache Concept builds on the Army’s plans to re-engine the AH-64E with two, 3,000shp GE Aviation T901 turboshaft engines and an open system interface in the cockpit.
aviationweek.com aviationweek.com
Boeing has unveiled a concept for a future version of the AH-64 Apache with avionics and networking upgrades to connect the attack helicopter with the U.S. Army’s strategy for multi-domain operations, as well as the capacity to carry extra sensors and weapons.

The Modernized Apache Concept builds on the Army’s plans to re-engine the AH-64E with two 3,000shp GE Aviation T901 turboshaft engines and an open system interface in the cockpit. The combination dramatically increases both the lifting and computing power on the aircraft.

The concept stops short of upgrades that improve the speed or range of the 47-year-old attack helicopter, even as the U.S. Army shifts to a new fleet of longer-range and higher-speed Future Vertical Lift (FVL) rotorcraft to operate in the Pacific region.

Despite the Army’s plans for development FVL rotorcraft, the AH-64 is scheduled to remain the principal U.S. attack helicopter for the next 25-30 years, Jesse Farrington, Boeing sales and marketing director for attack helicopter programs, told reporters at the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) annual meeting on October 10.

“The tyranny of distance is always going to be a challenge for a rotorcraft,” Farrington said.

The upgrades build on the baseline set by the AH-64E Version 6.5, which adds the T901 engine. The Modernized Apache Concept adds drivetrain upgrades to allow the helicopter to exploit the 50% increase in power output compared to the existing T700-701D engines, Boeing says.

A model on the AUSA exhibit floor shows other possibilities for a modernized Apache beyond Version 6.5. The model showed a future AH-64 configuration with extended stub wings to accommodate six pylons, including outboard stations carrying pods for directed energy weapons. The tailrotor featured a new cruciform design with different blades. Boeing officials emphasized that the changes represent ideas only, not funded or approved requirements. In some cases, they have not been analyzed in a wind tunnel.
Click to expand...

A scale mock up of the Apache V6.5 showcased at AUSA 2022.JPG
A scale mock up of the Apache V6.5 showcased at AUSA 2022 in Washington, DC. Credit: Richard Thomas
 
Boeing got told politely, I'm sure, that the "Apachnne" was a non-starter with FARA still to be born. With greater distances to operate over, I would not be surprised to see the high speed option return after the FARA decision.
 
TomS said:
SteveO said:
TomS said:
But this picture appears to add some things that are not in the fielded v6. Most obvious is the third pylon carrying ALE on an extended stub wing. And the other side has a possible laser weapon pod -- that's not a fuel tank with that hemispherical fairing.
Click to expand...
I think they are just stubby fuel tanks. The Apache banking towards the cliff has two on the right wing. Maybe the stores are carried asymmetrically to prevent damage to the external fuel tanks? Saying that, it would make sense to have a laser weapon inside a similar pod.
Click to expand...

All the tanks I can find in photos are somewhat pointed.
Click to expand...
Stubby ones on a Jayhawk ;) Or they could be EW pods!
 

Attachments

  • E702B5A6-9F4F-4AA7-871C-A16D40896E32.jpeg
    E702B5A6-9F4F-4AA7-871C-A16D40896E32.jpeg
    1.2 MB · Views: 68
Wasn't there a plan to allow some of the chain gun ammo to be replaced with fuel if needed?
 

Similar threads

Please donate to support the forum.

Back
Top Bottom