6 OSPREY.

COMBAT AIRCRAFT SERIES

AH-64Apache

BILL ~;UNSTOl\
 COMBAT AIRCRMT SERIES

AH-64Apache
BILL G "ISTO"l

. "'. . -

OSPREY PUBLISHING LONDON

Published in 19l'l1; 1)\
()sprcy Pllhlishin/-C I,ul
~Il"mh('r ClI1llpany "llllc {~'(lr1-{(' Philip (;nJup
]2~ J.I I.Ollg" . \tTl" I ~lIIdon \\'(;2E 91.1'

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PlllVIIS(.' 'If pri\ .Ill: "tud}, l"t'!o(';tr< 11. \.liti\.-iSI11 nr H,\·jeW.
OIS IM,.'nlliul'd 1l11dl'r III(' (:op' lil-\"hl A11. 1~r14;. 1111 1'"111
or Ihi~ pulilicttill11 lllil~ he repnl(hlCl'll. stored in a The Author
l-l'llil'\'al Snlt·lIl. III' I 1~lll!<lllilll'(l ill all~ forlll or h~' all}" 1'1,11.1. GLI\STO:'>J. limlici RAF pilol amlll}illg
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oplicl!' plllll()("IlpyinJ.{. nxol'c1inJ.{ III" 01 hl"l wise. willlllll! 011 ;lin:I~lli ;mcl a\·ialioll all"airs, lie i,~ Ihe <luth'l]" (If
lhe prior IX'rmissio" , II loppiJ.{hl OInl('r. Enquilies Ilumerous IXlob 1111 lhl" slll~I.,(·I. i:-';I l'nxlll('1l1
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should be acldn....-.e:'( I IlI Ill{' I'll] llisllC:I"l>. brnadGISlcr. was Il'l'hniGJI cditor of "Fligll1
IIl1CrJlal ion;l!"' alld \(.'chnol0l-\T etlilllr ()r"Sciellc~
.!oUrllal"·, ;lIul is a~~i~lanl (1lmpilc1'tll"'j;\I1("s All 'rill'
World"s AiRY.ln". I-Ie i~ lilt' author of anolher IXMlk
in I his series. ,'li(;-23f-27 F{oggrJ".
•
(:lIl1!<IOIL.I\i!l Contents
,\ I [.I~1 ,\p;ulw,-« >-'I'rl'\ 1~'11I1l;11 ;lilTI~lh)
1_ '\Il;11 h.. (lit-lin '111"1 )-11 i'll>l~ Chaple,- I:
l. rid\.· l)csig"n and Ik\'c1optlle1l1
(i~9,1 :I:\T)~ U<; I ~:\:I Chapter ~:
Technical Featun:s
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,
 1

Design and Development

E\'V FLYING machines are as menacing as the desigtKd armed helicopters were considcrcd. Thc

F armed helicopter, and no armed helicoplcr is

more menacing than the apTly named
Apache. Though dull olive grey in colour, the
firSI 10 be built was sm;lll, a development of thc Bdl
17 Sioux called the l'vlodel ~07 Sioux Scout. \Vith
only ~60hp, it did well to larry a crew of two-for
Apaches look black as they come thumkring ill, the first,ime in a slim tam]cm cockpit reminiscent of
making the air for miles ,lround vibrate wilh the a fighter-ami a chin turret with two machine guns.
Illighty power of their threshing blades. Like <!m:- Illdeed, small wings were fiued to help unload the
some armoured insects, They dose with tbe enemy, rotor amI provide attachments for rockets or other
shrugging off The hail of nrc directed against them wcapolls. Significantly, thc gUlluer was in the nose
;llld finally picking off lhick-skiutlcd lauks as if they and the pilot I.>t:hilld and slightly higher.
were Aies. Vo,lilhin secouds [be Lllrobbing attackers
have vanished, leaving behilld a scelle of carnage and High-perfonnance requirement
(\<.:sobtioll.
1]IH[clliably, the Allacllc is il11lJrcssivc, ,unl C;dCLl- \-Vith increasing involvement in Vietnam, and helafed
laled to strike fear into its CllClllics. All tile sellior recognition thal existing- armed hdio)ll\(TS were
COltllll,llH!crs of the US Army from President merely ordinary transpon11e1icoplers on to which a
Reagan down !l;lve singled it out for special praise. few weapons had been fastened, Ihe US Army spellt
NOl ltlltypical was the commellt of Brig-(;en Ellis 1964-65 devising- a specification for a specially de-
D.P;lrker, Deputy Director for Requiremell1.~: "It signed armed helicopler. R{joicillg in the tille of
gives corps ;ll1d division cOlllmatH!ers Ille ()P!)()J-rLlll- Advanc(.'"(1 Aerial Fire Support System (AAFSS), the
ity to capitalize on more of the principles of war than requirement called for a machine of unprecedented
. ..
with allV other system thev han'." But ;llllhis is only.
one side of" the coin.
performance and <:apability, with the ability to Hy and
fight extremdy dose to the ground even at night or
The other side is Ihat, whereas the Apache was ill bad. weathcr. III .\larch 19GG Lockheed was picked
planned to cost $1.4 million, each of today's helicop- ovC!" II othcr coutcstants for what promised to be a
ters sets back the US taxpayer almost len times that giant programme.
amonnt. And \Varsaw Pact armics are more COIll- The first of ten prolOtypes of the AH-56A
pletdy defend(.'"(1 against air attack than any others in Chcycnlle hegan its Hight test programIllc Oil 21
hislory, with vast numbers of highly mobile SAMs Septcmber 1967. Powered by a 3,925shp General
Glpahle with one shot of blowillg an Apache into Electric TG4 engine, it was in some ways almost au
slllall fraglllellK (:0I1troversy over the viability of autogyro or even an aeroplane, because in cruising
hattlefield helimpters will cominue, but the point Hight much or lhe lilt was provided by a wing. The
must he notcd Ihat 110 nation makes g-reater use of main rotor was almost leathered, and "almost the
tbem than the Soviet Union. Moreover, in Ihe new entire engine output" was supplied to lhe tail gear-
Havo<:, helicved to be the rVli-28, that country h:ls box where there was not only the usual ami-torque
paid the Apache the most sincere form of compli- rotor but also a propeller giving forward thrust.
mellt possible, in the form of an apparently direct Cruising speed W;lS ~421llph (389km/h). Avionics
copy. were said 10 he "more complicated th;-lI1 a F.-52", with
Early helicopters were incapable of carrying lUany inerti;ll and doppler navigation, terrain-following
weapons, and it was not until the I960s that purpost:- radar and amazingly cOlllplex systems for aiming a
 nose turret with a Minigun or grenade launcher and
a belly LUrret with a 30mm cannon. Missiles and
rockeLS \"ere fired from under the winh'S. So great
were the problems and cost.s that this bold and
impn:ssi\'e machine nevcr went into production.
Thc Army's urgent needs in Vietnam \,'crc met by
the simpler AH-I HueyCobrd., produced \'cry quick-
ly by Bell as a private vcnture. In a brilliantly
successful programme, thc Cobra has beCII con-
tinuously upb'Taded and dcveloped to such all ext.cnt
that LOday's AH-IW l'or the Marine Corps has an
installed horsepower of 3,392, compared with the
original AH-l's 1,0001 To a rough approximation,
lifting ability i... proportional to installed power, bm
me Cobras find it difficult to opcrd.te except by day
and in clear visibility.
Abo,·C', 19" mock-up of the Hughes YAH-64 Apache, rore-
Warsaw Pact tank threat runnu or tht: winning dt:sign, which was to change considerably.

Accordingly, in 1972 the US Army at last got iLS aet Four years into the AAH progrd.mme, in 1976, the
togcther and, picking up where the AAFSS had left Hall Edward A. \fillcr, Assistant Secretary of the
off, launched a programmc for an Advanct.'<1 Attack Arm)' (R&D), said: "The AAH's night vision and
Helicoptcr (AAH). It was vinually forced into doing adverse weather capability, in concert with its agility,
so by thc awesome and increasing power of t.he speed and vertical acceleralion, will deprive any
Warsaw Pact armoured forces facing Western advancing armored force of ilS security. The AAH's
Europe. Il wa!'> recognised that the capabilities prom-
ised by the cancelled Cheyenne were not merely Iklo...: The two p ~ of Bell's rival YAH-63losing de$ign
which, amoOlg odIer thin,l;S, put the pilot in frontof the ~nner
desirAble but absolutcl}' essential. and also reatured a triC}"cle-type bnding gear.
Above: Two Lockh(:ed AH-56A Cheyennes flyin.e; ,wer the test
facility at O"nard, California, 1968. The AH-56A: wa$ cancelled. was iJ different story. Bids were all in by 1 .\Iarch
1973, and on 22 June of that year the Army picked
maneuverability will enable it to dt:srroy tanks in Bell and I lughes to receive competilive development
rocky 01' heavily wooded arC<l~ where previously they COlltr.lCts, Each was to build two Ilight prototypes and
would have been relmivcly s.afc from air <luCiek. one GTV (ground test vehide). In addition, Hughes
"Soviet and Warsaw l~lCt units are .....ell equipped received an 'l\\'ard to develop a special gun for the
for air defense, and the AAH is designed to survive AAH, Bell electing to use the X\'IIR8 b'l.ln by Gener<ll
111 the hostile environment th<..'SC anti-aircraft Electlic. This partly explained the sUtrtling differ·
weapons ",;11 create. Its abilit), will m'lke it a \'ery ence in the two development cOntnlcts. Bell's being
dusi\'e target, and it is Glpable of sustaining (sic. he lor $44,7 million and Hughes' being pricc..-d at $70.3
mc:.1II1 to say 'surviving') hits from 12.7mm machine- million.
b'l.lIl n>llnds and, in some vital areas, 23mm weapons. Bell's desibYfl was the \-fooel 409. given the official
It is also l."lluipped with an effecti\'c illfr-I-red sup- designation VA H ..6 3. It was the smallest helicopler
pres,sion s)':'>tcm 10 protect it from heat-seeking mis- Bell could dl.:sibYfl while still meeting lhe se\'ere
siles. The AAH, with its night and advcl"SC-wcather mission rC<luirements. The 1700 enbolnc..'S were
Glpabilities, will greatly reduce the qualitative armor placed quite low down behind the rolor gearbox, the
ildvillItagc !lOW el~oyed by the East:' cowls being blended into the fuselage, Ahead of the
rotor the entire fonvard fuselage was occupied by the
Five-company competition tandem cockpits, Ihe pilot bein~ in the nose and tl
CPG (copilot/gunner) hehind and slightly above. The
The AAH promised to be a m~jor programme, and XM 188 gun, a three·IXlrrcl 30ml11 weapon related to
live comp..1.l\ies fought to win it: Bell Hdimpter, the M61 fighter gUll, ,'{as mounled under the ex-
Boeing Venol, Hughes Hel.icopters, Lockheed and treme nose, the visionics and sight system being
Sikorsky. The one firm that could nOl lose was funhcr 1l<ICk underneath. Lmding gear was of the
General [Iearie, whose specially designed '1'700 tur- fixed trit:yde type, with twin steerable nose\vheels.
boshaft engine had aJready been picked nOt only for The slender tailboom was indinc..--d up....'ards 10 gi\'e
the AAH but also for the even more numerous dearancc ror the sweptback underfill at the tail,
UTTAS (Utility Tactical Tr<lnspol1. Aircraft S}'slem) which was almost as big as the upper fin carrying the
whkh was won by the Sikorsky $-70 (VH·60A) Black small hOtizolllilllail on lOp, the Util rotor being on the
Hawk. As both helicopters \\'ere required to be end or the wilboom. The main rOlur had just two
twin-engined, G[ was fairly safe in planning to build large blades, Ihe diameter being 51 fl lOin (15.54m).
5,000 of their new engine. But for the AAH itself it Rearing in mind thalthe missions and the engines

5
were the same. the Ilug-hes Model 77. designated award. 011 ~~ .Illile 1975. <11\(1 hy 19 SqHenllx:r it had
YAH-64. could hardly have beel1 lllore different in completed the 50 homs of runnillg necess.ary Ix:fore
design. The engines Werc plan::d in separate boxes first flight of either flring prototype. The lauer was
sfanding away fmm the rather lumpy humph..·Kked designated A V02 and AV03, meaning Air Vehicle
fuselage. driving via diagonal shafts frolll sep..'lrate 02 and 03; AV02 made its lirst Hight at the Hughes
gearboxes looking like slllalljet inlets on the front or Hight centre at Palomar, Calilol'1lia, on 30 September
each cllh.-inc. The transparencies o\'er the cockpits 1975, one day inside the deadline. The first Bell
were hugc. and the crew were seated the other war YAH-63 lIew next day. right on the deadline. at
round COIll!l<II·e.::d witlt the Bell: fhe CPG being Arlington. Texas. Ilughes' AV0311e\\' on 22 No\'em-
markL-dly lowcr down and in from. bel' 1975, while the second Bellllew 011 21 Decem-
Likewise, the positions of the sight s)'stem and gun ber.
were re\·cl~'<.1. the.:: sight being in the llOse and the By this time the IllIghes design had gone through
gun 1Il1dcmcatlt. Lauding gear was 01" the tailwheel a metamorphosis. Most siriking of the changes were
type. the main units hiwing ungainly long legs slop- al the tail. where the attachments for the tililplane ,1I
ing diagonally bach/ard and supported br shock the bottom of the taillxJom remained unused. In-
struts attached between their mid-points amI the stead the fin "'as extended upwilrds. with a SIl'lIlgC
longeron at the base of the C3noptC's. kinked shape and a G.tInhert.'(l (sideways lifung)
aerofoil profilc, and the lailplane was placL'C1 right al
Prototype tail details the top, pn~('-,(:ling far ahead of Ihe top of the fin.
The nose W;L~ rc(k'signL'l1 with different sensors,
TIle tail comprised a "crr low-mmllll,ed tailplane large cOlllpartlJleJlL~ wcrc addL't1 on eac!l side of thlC"
(horil.Ont'll stabilizer) and a slight I)' swepl fin GITI'ring nose for avionics, and the ax:kpit and Gmopy wcre
the tail rOlOr half-\"ay up. This rOI,or was unusual in tmally R'Clcsih'lled witll giant flal tr.lllsparelll pancs ill
Ihat, 10 reduce noisc. the four blades wcre nOi spact.-d strong framcs, tile light-haml windows scn'ing ;L<; lhe
al 90". The main n,tnr also had four h];l(k's, and was access doors. Finally. in tht.'SC init.. . . 1 modificauol1s.
remarkably small. though. like the Bell nnnr. it was the main-rotor mast W;L'i extcmk·d upwani<; by 9.5il1
full}" ,miculated with pitch-change bearinhTS. Rapping (~'I0111Ill), lx-c..'llIse ill cxtrcme Righi 1ll,\lI<kLlvres the
hiubres and drag hingcs,
The Hughes CTV. Gtlled A VO I. r:<ln iL~ nnors for Below: 1ne Hughes Air Vehicles AVQ2 and 03 on ICSI in 1976.
Though clearly Apaches, lhey differed in almQSI eo'err respecl
the firsl time cxactly IWO ),ears afler the.: contract from toda}"s helioopler. notably in !he nose and tail.
blades could rub across the top of the canopy. explained later. this emerged as AGJ\.I-I14 Hellfire,
During Phase I testing- availability of the two AVs and in a m<~jor specification change in February IY76
had been consistently above 86 per cent, considered this missile replaced TO\V as the primary weapon.
all exceptional achievement. A total of 850 hours had Bell and Hughes worked furiously to bring their
been flown without accident, ,It speeds lip to 225mph prototypes to the stage at which, in mid-June 1976.
(362km/h) forw,lrds and 32mph (83.7km/h) to the they could be delivered to Edwards AFB, California.
side and rear, at weig-Im 4,OOOlb (I ,8 14kg-) hig-her for Army competitive evaluation. At the last minute
than the desig-n mission weight and with lateral and one YAI 1-6:~ h;ld an accident, on 4 June, and the ReI[
vertical accelerations never before reached by a (~TV had to be frantically brought up to Hight status
helicopter. A sustained rate of climb of 3,500ft/min as the replacement.
(17.8m/s) had been delll(ll\strated, and prol()Jlged This did not help Rell's chances, and another
tests with the company's own XI\'1230 Chain Gun and factor in Hughes' favour was the company's decision
2.75in rockeL~ had shown the YAH-6'1 to be a very al the st~lrt of the programme that it would necd a
s1<lb[e firing platform. big industrial team to ensure that the highest possible
level of spc{:ialist expertise would Ix: applied to evny
Missile armament major part. Apan from GE for the engines, this team
comprised: Bendix, dcnric power system, and main
III the AAH specification the primary armameIll was transmission shafL'; and couplings; Bntea, hydraulic
to be eight TO\V allti-tank missiles in two quadruple flight controls; Garrett, engine IR suppressed ex-
launchers, though the prototypes demonstrated their hausts and integrated pressurized' air systems; Hi-
ability to carry double this number. TOW requires a Shear, canopy and crew escape system: Litton (Preci-
hutIlan opnatar to guide it along the line of sight all sion Gear Division), engine-nose and main transmis-
the way to the tal-get, and this obviously tends to sion gearboxes; Menasco, landing gears; Solar. gas-
fOl-ce the helicopter to expose itself throughout this 1Urbine APU (auxiliary power unit); Sperry, autosta-
time to enemy lire. In 1973 the US Army began bilization; Teledyne Ryan, airframe struClure; Tele-
development of a new-generation ami-tank mi~sile dyne Systems, !-ire-control computer; Tool Research
which would not need this form of guidance. As and Engineering:, main and tail rotor blades; and
\Vestern Gear, intermediate and tai[ rotor gearboxes.
Below: Firing some of the first FFARs (folding-fin aircraft At the end of [976 it all came right for the J Iughes
rockets) from AV02., in cffed the very first Apache prototype.
At this time no operational sensors were calTlcd. tealll. The AII-64 was announced the winner, and

7
the company also won the gun competition with its pre-produClion prolotypes, AV04, flew on 31 Octo-
unique Chain Gun. Ilughes immediately H.'ceived a ber 1979.
$317.7 million COntT<lct for FSD (full-SGllc develop-- Here was yCt another new arrangement. with an
ment) of the proposL--d production helicopter, indud- all-moving "stabilator" mounted low down right at
ing the construction uf three more prototypes- the back of the helicopter extending from just abo"e
AV(}il. 05 and 06---the I:lSI IWO with airfr.IIllc..'S sub- tJle vel)' tip of the tailhoom. 111is enlargl.."t! surf"ICe
contral..1ed to Teledyne Rpm at San Diego. was dl;ven by a hydr.llllic 1>O\\'er unit linkc...d into the
'11lf()IlgholU 1977 HlIght.'S Aew the IWO prototnx..'S Aighl-<:omrol and autosu.h system to till the machine
at Palomar, testing and evaluating a "Mod I" pack- when necessary but in normal flight 10 prcSCI'\'e a
age of ch;ll1g-cs which earlier flying had shawl! LO be horizontal auitude 110 mailer what the cin:umstances.
desirahle. These chauges induded a funher Gin Thl: new tail also had a vertical fill 3in (7Gllll1l) taller
(152mm) increase in main rowr mast height. SWCpl- c.'lTying a modified tail rowr a lull 30ill (0.76m)
hack lips 10 the main-rotor blades to reduce com- higher up. ["en this was Ilot quite the answer, and
pressibilit),. il redesign of the I<lilplane to have a 011 1'1 March 1980 AVO"! Acw with a smaller slahila-
re,-ersed planfo~m (slraiglll 1c;lding edge and ta- lor, followed two days later by the first flight of thc
pered trailing edge). a 3in (76mm) increase in dia- AVOG whkh also imroducl..,<1 a tail 1'0101' of lOin
meter of the tail rotor, and inslallation of Ihe first (254mm) b'Teater diameter.
p"iItel'll of IR suppressed cxhalL..t using not the Back in f\larch 1979 AV02 had Gtrried Olll the fifSl
engine·dri,·cn fans originally spL't-ified btl( the (ground) firing of a Ilelllire mis."iilc, followed later by
Hughes Hlack Hole Iype ()f p"lssi\'e cooling box using airborne shoL.. ag<linsl designaLCd ldrgets. In Oclober
self-illduc("d airflow to mix with the hot gas. 1979 02 Glrricd 01lt the first autonomous firing,
desi~n;lling Lhe larget itself with its own Martin
Phase II testing \farieua TADS. But its sister. ship 03. was fitted with
rival sensors by Northrop ;..Jortronics, and it was not
These changes had all beell Aown by May 1978. By lIntil f\'!al'ch 19RO that the Martin installation was
this lime AV02 and 03, after a mmbined lotal of 720 :.mnounced as the winner. This naturally affected not
hours. were grounded in order 10 be broughl up to only the shape of the nose bUI also the brian! side
full produoion SL.indal'd for Ph<c>c II testing. This avionics panniers. Yet another visible ch;.mge was
56-month pro(~rramme, coslcd at $390 million includ- that the flat gL"lSS cockpit panels ....·ere replact.'d by
ing the thn.'c eX{T<! PT"Otot) pC_'S, \\~d.~ the final long haul .~ingle"cul'\'<l.lure bulged windows gi,'ing a "K:W
thai had 10 be completed prior 10 Ihe SL.i11. of almost directly downwards or to the rcaI', though
pnKluaion. ModifiG.ltions kept lx:ing introduced. downwards view is slightly limited by the long
When protOlypcs 02 and 03 resumed flying, respec- ;wionics bays.
tively in Novcmber and December 1978, the)' in- The only m<tior setback in the programme camc in
corporated thc Mod 2 package which indudl..>d all Novemher 1980 when 04 was destroyed in a mid·air
wiring for the mission avionics (though tbe vital collision in no way due to allY fault in the helicopter.
scnsors had still not been selected). Completely new This machine had just completed a programmc of
3viollic; bays wcrc constructed, starting Ileal' Ihe nose weapon ltials using all planllcd types of armament,
and extending back under the wing. enclos.illg lhe and 02 alld 06 cominued the work using Ihe Pilot's
upper p:.lrt 01" each main gear on the wa)'. Night Vision S)"Stem (P:'\lVS) in an important selics
Even more obvious W.IS continuing uncel1ainty of night filings.
O\'er the horizomaltail. The fixed T-tail was satisfac- President Rcag<m signed the FY82 (Fiscal Year
tory in most conditions, btU at extremely 10\\' level- 1982) Defense Bill on 19 December 1981 in which
so-Gllk,,1 NOE (nap of the E.al1h) flying-it let the was an item for $537.5 million for the first II
tail sink d()\\'n and the llOSC point skywards, deman- production Apachc..'S. Hughes announn.·d plans to
ding major forward stick movements at times when build an assembly plalll on a virgin sitc at MeS<I,
cockpit workload was high in any case. AV03 Aew Alil.ona, and this openl.."tl in Februa'1' 1983. On ~-SO
with a low lailplane. but something close to the September 1983 PVOI, the first production.vehicle,
definitive tail was not seen Ullliithe first or the new was rolled out.
 2

Technical Features
HE HEART of any helicopter is its rotor actua!ors between the pilot's scal ;:lIId the main

T system, and (hat of the Apache is a C<'1refully

considered blend of tradilional practice and
new technology. Though it has passed through im-
gearbox. Following major h}'draulic failure the sys-
lem auton.latioll)' switches to Spcn)' secondal)' back-
lip FBW (lly-by-wire) electrical signalling.
IXln:i11ll stages of modificltion, the main rotor h;:l'\ An unusual fealUre is that all major stresses are
always been full)" artl(."ulaled .mel had fnur bladt's of transmitted \'ia a fixed rotor mast from the bottom of
relatively small diameter resulting in unusually high which the helicopter is hung ,'ia four (ubular \'ee-
di5C loading (as in the small Hughes Cayusd struUi. The main gearbox is hung under the centre of
Defender family). Eadl uf the four inlcrdlangeable the fixed mast and drives via a tubular shaft passing
bladl..'S h,l.." a bmad dl0n:1 and a highly Cl.mbered up the centre to the rotor hub spinning on roller
aerofoil st.'l.Uon. As nOlc:.'t1 pre"iously. the tips are bcarinb'S at the top of the fixed mast. This prO\ides
rak(.,,(] backwards to rtxlucc compressibilil)' problems dual redundant load paths. and allows the lr.msmis-
011 the ad\·ancing blades. For transport by Glrgo sion to Ix:: rcmovl.-xi while kl..."Cping the rotor in place.
aira-afL cadl blade am readily be folded through 90<> No bearing lubrication is Ill."t.."(k-xi in the main rotor.
or remo\'c:."t.I aud stowed. and the intenlll.."diatc..: and tail-rotor gearboxes arc

Rotor blade structure 80:10"·: Thanks 10 i~ sheeTPOWeT the ApKhc is ~k. Putting on
Full po"."" and slamming the cyclic ,,"tid: Forward For maximum
Forwards acceleration puts the Apache infO this anirude.
Each blade has live parallel sp.1;r.s of high-strength
stainless steel, separated and lined by stmourallUhes
of glassfibre. Laminated skins of I,hin Sl;links.~ steel
are wrapped I1Hmd from the fronl., Ihe number of
laminations vel)' rapidly increasing ;1I the root to
form a solid stack of retcmion straps through-bolted
together. The trailing portion of cach blade is of
composite honeycornb struUure bonded on separate-
ly. TRE AclvilnCI...>d StruC!urcs Division were required
to demonst.rate sustained operatioll under the most
severe cOllditions with olle steel skin cracked across
and any aile spar ShOI through.
At the root the multiple laminates are allowed to
pivot upwards by <tn offscl flapping hinge, and to
nxk to fronl and rear in lhe plane of the disc by
c1astollll::li, Ica&1ag dampers. Anti-"ibration masses
are attached al from and rcar of eadl rOOI on the
leadllag tic rods. !)ildl changes are introduced in lhe
usual way by n::nicaltie rods from the lIppe,- (rotat-
ing) swashplmc, the non-rotating !o\,'er swashplate
being tilted according to lIight-eontrol input de-
mands by three po\\'erful Parker Rertea hydraulic

9
 pad,cd with g't'ease. CritiLal part.~ of the transmission by a Flexheam, an elastically tailored glasstibre spar
arc pr{)(ecu~d by ESR (elL"(;tru-.~lag remelled) steel of whit'h extends !"rom tip to tip along: the centre of
H.T} hig:h strength. The whole.: dynamic system is each hbdc-p<lir. Over the outcr ends of the beam are
thus ballistically tolerant. and has flOWll for m'cr olle attacheclthc hlade airfoils, comleclt.:11 al. their inboard
hour ,tfter loss 01" all lubriclling oil. cnds 10 hollow pilchcases surrounding the inner pan
The tail rotor is Lospe<..;'llly ver}' Ix>Wcrful. IL" brreat of each half of the beam. LUlIinatt,:d c1aSlOmeric
rhnlst suq>rises the pupil pilot. because any auempt sllublx:n. alwa)'s tend to celllre the pitdlOlSeS relative
10 turn on the grollnd Colli roll the i\pache sidewa)'s to thc beam, and e1aslomeric damping pads m;)lllll
on its soft and stalky legs, and it is easy 10 slide the tail the fle~lx:am to the hub. The new rOl.or is not only
~idewa}"s even on cl'1' U>IIuetc. This rotor has its IWO Iighler and cheaper but has no Ix:arings, needs no
pairs or high-lift bhldcs set at the optimum angle for mainlcnall(:c and ;lppears 10 have infinite fatib'lIe life.
noise allentumiOll, whidl is alxnll 55°/125°. Like Ihe It lila)' bt:<.:ollle slandard in 1987, ami be rellllfiu.l..'11
main-rotor blades the lail nllor has leading-edge 011 Apadlcs already built_
dciccr slrips or the ele('1.ro-thcrmaltype, the supplier
Ixing Sicrracln. which also provides the canopies and Airframe construction
lrallSp;m.:nt blast shield betweell the cockpits.
III May 19H~ Ilughes completed wind-tunnel test· Teledync Ryall Aeronautical, of S,ll1 Diego, 111lild~
iug of a dramatically diflerculilew tail rotor operat- the complcLc airframc, colllpri~ing the fuselage,
ing 011 the so-called Flexbeam primjple.:. Thc new tail wings. taillxxltll, horizontal tail (called the stabilalOr)
rotor has a diameter 01" 112in (2.8'15111), compared and the tail-rotor pylon (whi<:h most pt"Ople would
with I lOin for Ihc normal rotor. Each omsists of two caJllhe lin). The wings arc ea.sily disnmnct:ted at the
pairs of blades mounted at 90" to cadi other, hilt Ihe roots of the two main spars, for air tran~port or
struClurc is wholly Ilovel. All major loads are Gtmcd storage, and they incorpordte hardpoitlL'i for two

Ikk...·: Standingon the roof aft ofthc rockpit. a mainlenance Below: Arm)' specialislS recfl~-ed their initial training at the
en~r has access all round the main rotor hub. Many parts McDonnell Dou.slas Me$a pliU1t. He~ an NCO service engineer
a~ designed to with5tand hits by 23mm cannon shells. inspectS the cunous t2il rotor, ..-ith blades crossing at 55°,

:J
 o;implc.:r. £ach wheel, with h}'drauliL ul-ake, is c.~ITied
on Ihe eud of a plain tube piwltl.'11 to the bonom of
Ihe fuselage so that it is free to swing 1><lckwards and
upwards, It is pre\'emed from doing SO by a shock
strut pi\oted half-way down tht: leg and to a large
trunnion at the [01' of Ihc fuselage under the edge of
tltc CUlOpy, TIlis shock SInH resisL<; nomlallandings
at gross weight al a vcnicu speed or IOflis, and
emergency desCCIlL<; at 42flls with virtually certain
cre\~' survival. For air transport the strut GlIl he
depressurized to kl lhe aircraft sink almost 10 lhc
ground to reduce overall height. The taih\'llcd is
aHache<! to a yoke pivoted to the tail end of the
tailbourn, heing fn.-c to castor except when locked U)'
the pilot in the fore/aft directioll.

Survivability features

At the SLiln of the design of the origirml )'Iodel 77 il

W,L'i oh\'ious that some form of redundallC)' had lO be
prm'ided not onl}' in the stmoure of the aid'rame
hill also in thc opemtive systems. Mosl of the struc-
l.llre is !.:ollyelltional. but with generous thicknesses 01"
material amI duplic.'ued load paths to ensure survival
Above: Probabl}' destined soon to be instructing others, these cvcn after severe 10Gll battle damage. HIl~hes was
were amon.1{ the fiTSllroops to specialize in the romr.licated
"vionics. Tnese line-replaceable units are in Ihe rig It-hand bar. 1101 rt.'quired 10 demonstrate aLtual sustained flighT

following the severance of ulicial pallS of (he heli-

pylons each. ;L'i well as a trailing-edgc Aap which W;L'i copter, blU lhe company belicves lhe Apache to ha\'c
originally imcJl(..k-d for use in manouC\'I"CS but was a degree or airframe damage tolerance not c\-en
not adopted and is nOI\' normally locked. The simple approached by an)' ulher helicopter. A diagrdlll
stabil;ttor is pivoted ne,lr it.<; leading edge 10 the top of sho\~'S some of Ihe fundamental design fC'dtuR'S
the wil cnd of the tailboolll. aft of the fill. Its widely \dlich are hOpl-"f1 to ellsure crew sun:ivabilil} even
V,ll;;lhle angle of incidence is controlled via Hamilton aftel' a. crash iml><ln at a venical \'e1ocity of 42ft
Slandard electronics hy Simmonds hydr..lulic (12.8mYs. Impact cnc!"J:,')' is absorbed hr the long-
<IC1uators, and as an CIIH.:rgcncy b..'lCKUj) Ihe Sperry travel landing gears and by nushing of the 100,'er-
lIy-hy-wire system (all provide suflicielll control pow- fllselage slnuturc. The gun would be forcc..,<:! straight
er for a safe recovery lO base. up illlo the space between the cockpits. while the
The tail pylon is holt.ed 10 the top of the tailboom seats cm collapse vCrtiCllly downwards ill a control-
and carries the tail rot.or Ileal' the top on the \cft side, led mallller to minimise accelerations imparted 10 the
The transmission, houscd ill a spine fairing alollg the OI:TUP:lIIL<;,
lOp of the tailboom, is madt: of special materials such
;Lo; ESR, a very liule til:llIium, and 7049 aluminium Flight control system
alilly, 'Illick 0011<111> protc..-Ci \ ital areas againsl gunfire,
all clements being dcsigll<.'<.l to operate for (JIIC hour III the case of Ihe s}'Sterns. most sen'ices are dupli-
after receiving ballistic (projeaile) d<lmage or total GU(:<.1. with routings widely separated wherever Ix>ssi-
loss of oiL The right-angle final dl;ve gearbox to the ble, Perhaps the most cnKial system of all is the flight
lail rotor is cooled h)' a special AiReseardl fan, with contl'ols, and here lhe obvious ans\,'er m first St."CIlll.X.I
lIu.: ram inlet in the frolll of the ge;ll+,ox ntiring, to be a. dually redundant back-up mechanical systcm.
The l\'fenasco main landing gears could hardly he Boldly, the decision was taken ,0 design illSlcad a
 HUGHES AH-64 APACHE CUTAWAY 22. Wi",I""'n'Cn ",ipc.'. 39. SI"r1""lnl sid.... ",iudo\',
23. (:... I'iI<)II~ulln{'r-s <;l1l'1' ha,ches.
DRAWING KEY anllu"rt-cl "lIl.\.s'Tttn. 40. R.,,'l"1 bunch,'r I);lt L...
I. :'\';):hl W<ill'ms ".... n"."- 14. Fur".I.-<I 101<1.1'- ... U'ninl{ %... 1I,.. I~I.d" .... lI "il/;In ing 41. S,amo.1,nl ",illfo: Mort'"
....lIlt...·I·. .IIn,·",,;., S)'M"m \1C"llIllkr.
%5.I·iklt',,;ml"""1...1
I'\k.n'l-
42. C...:kl'il n.,II-:"'ljn~.
2. l'i~~·' Nigh, \·N..l l St·n...... 15. M~:~IA I (:Io;.. n (;un
(1':'\ \'Sj int r.,.It...1S«lIlllel'. loami. WiIKI""'L'C1i pand. 43, 1nstnllnclll l);Illt'l ~hn ""I
3. l:Jt'l'''''' '1)1 it.IIl:"'gt1 16. l·II",,-\;.~t· 'pnnsuu r.,iri"I!:' 26. \\·iml.\I'n,·n ",iper. +t l'ilolt's "'''\'1;.1' ;lrmllU rl.. 1
,k..,i):l1"""1\ ;11111 1I'1o:hl >c"s. ,I' 17. A\'iom~-,; ,unling :ur 27. C:.l-p.k>VKtl1lne,-·s ",,,hI' ~"ll.

,,""l''''~ lurn·l. <llIllinl-:_ arnK ..uHl >C;1l. 45. (:..Ik..l;\'l;,· pilch o,mn,1
18. Hurn'l .lnl1..11rt'(l ,~",'L..pil 28. Solll1\ Il.Ino."'-~_ \(-wr.
flu",ing-, 29. Sid,' (llllsok pand. "6. Sid,· ronsok p;md.
19. ( ~l-pilotJ,,,'"n 1lt'I"S ·(',Id· 30.1·.11~ill(·I"",·,·r!l'H"'S. 47. EllWm"I"'w,," 1e\·l'I'S.
,I'1\"u' HJIl'Iul ",hmill. 31. A, IOnk,; l'lIUiptlWlll I",~'" 48, Rcarcockpil (l,~,,·lt-n·1.

20. We"pnnSC<IllII'O,1 palll·l. I){lrt and ,1,ldKl;II'd, 49. r,b;1I "lHk,'<;an·j;lg.· ,11Oel.
21. InSI'"IllCl 11 pant'! sh row!. 32. A,';,,"i('~ hal ;[(n-", <lO(H'. ahs< lrb.... r 1ll""1111l1g'.
33. C"II{'{'li\"(.: plldl {'(JIll.ml ,;0, I.iukless ammlllli, iOIl I{'['(\
Ie\'er, I'h\11('.
34. AdjIlSl<lblen;lsl, n·,iSlan! 51. FnrW'lrd flld ,;,"k: tOlal
S<.:<ll """nil ill).,"'. rlld «lll;KiI Y:17j LIS ~al
35. I'ilofs ru,l.ln [.... lals, ( l.·ll!I ).
36. (~ .. I.PIl si,k ",11111"", 1""'..1. 5%. (:OlllrOlllld linl,,!,,",
37,I'ilot\ il~''''lIllll'nl consuk. 53. (:OK-k"il \'l'n\lI"I"').: ;Iir
38. Inlt·r.... ..,l.pi, "''1>·li., hbsl IlIunl's.
4. -C,rgl1 aqllis..i"n ,llld shield. . 54. l)i'I'I.." "djusIIIK'm IJ<uld.
d,...,iY;Il,lli..., ".\:111 daylighl
...--;11"'.... 1' (I AilS).
5..\,imuth m''',.r h.. usiuy;.
6. ·1.-\I>.'VI·:\:\·S swiwlli"tt"
1ll0'.1.
7. I UlH'1 .Irin' IIll""'- h.. usill!!:. •
8. St·,,,,, '1' It"T,'1 llIUlllU iny;.
9. \{(-.Il' \'i,·,,· milT"r. •
10. :'\,,""· ... "I'I"I1l11U·'" "en'S-'
!I.II.h,....
l1.lk·II"~I' 1<"',"in;i1l1l1il.
12. Signal <I'll;] C""HTI"r.
13. ( :, ,-pih "/).:lllIlIl·r's ya '"
( 011(1', ,j rll< \,1,.,. pedals,

,.
2
55. {;,."h 1',I11<lksl",,,i"'(,,,a,,,·,, 71. Ail' \Urbinc sl;U'!crl 100. C:'::arboxlCI1Killc ba~' uil 134. '\\·..C5S h'[1,h.
slqlS. <I11:>;;ha')'\l<,w.... uuil (.... I'U) f"ir;l1h"" 135. II :., ,(1);rillslrn"i'""":lIlCc
input SIM 'L
56. Control ")"'Cill h)'drJuli<:-
anU;'('JI'll (.tlln'). 72. Row.. he,HI n,nlml ",i"ill~
101.InlCI'llai llloli"I;,illa"n:
I'(;"fo"".
00!"
13 . Ibtl;., a'iel dL~·lm'li,:>.
57. Vt'Iuil,uill/! air i",,,ke.
58.t.:IIFa(·rj;j].
link.itgcs.
73. (;earbolo; moullling p~Ut:.
102. Tail !"OWl' Cl.>nlml nK!.
103. Spinc sh:llt housinH:.
l"{luiprncnt bal"
137. Rc;\rfuc lank.
59. SI'Il'b(l.iIl'd slub winE;". 74. Tr"'",mL..., ion "il luolcrs. 104. ·I.lil nMur, r."1.'lmw,;..m 138. RetkulalCd ['lam [ire
GO. r..l:iil1 nll<>rhladcs. pon and slarooord. shaft. suppn-ss.-Illl 13l1k 11<:,1 lininh"'_
61.I .....mlllawd bbdc-root 75. R'Mor hr..kc. 105. SharI h... II;uh'$ ;",d 139. VIlt'<K'lill.
all.,d" •.,.". jlil1b. 76. Main I;c:lrbox. couplin~s. 140. :-'13;11 rotor bl:ttll' ~ainlc.--..s
62. Vibralloll absOIiJCB. 77. GC;lThox mounting "'mlS. 106. Re\'c! dri"c lIl\em>e:dialc Slrt-l ~ldtB (fiH').
6]. R;1;.dc pi.(h Ix-;mng 78. (:CnCl'alOf. ~'C':iIrbox.
hUUSlOl!,::. 79. !nplll shah Im"'jM.n 107. ~"in/-:ucor py\on
64. Air data S(:'JSO( mast. (."K'..... ...ML..... rudKMI.
65. ReM.,,· huh ullit. SO. (;cartxlx mouminl; d<:d'_ 108. Taill"QC,or dri\'(' shafl.
66. Oflsclllap"illK hinKcs. 81. T;lil rolOr«Murol nxl 109. All ",.)\;ng ""I plano:'_
67. F.l;l~... m.. rk 1(~,(In.. g linkage.
d;lInl~~' 8!. Ammunition ma!r.uine.
68. I I;'de pilch (Ollirol rod. 1.200 muml.<.
69. I';ldl "'>llIml ""~Ishpbte_
70. M<lill 11)1.'/1- 11\;.151.
..,

141. (;];L_fihn.. sll<:lr linings.

142. 11000000'comb IrailinR cdR'"
lland.
110. '1 ail rotor /ol('ali)OK 143. Class-fibr(' blKk skins.
housin}:. 144. Tr.lil;ng(.'dgc tiXl'C:lwh.
Ill. Rlght-;mglc: li":ll elri,'., 145. Swcpt hlad(' lip fairing.
KC".IrlJo;>:. 146. S(;UI( disch"rgl·r.
II!. Fin lip aen:,1 r:,iring. 147. Sluh" iUlollr.,ili"g-t'C:lg.·
113. Ikar radar "'3rninR !lap.
~. Sluh ... illlol.m... 11....:1\( anll'nal·. 148. Sl\Ih ",ing rih
J(JllllS. 114. T.,i111:"il;"d,m lil(hl. ronslnletlOfl.
84. Enll:in., .. ,m~mis.,iul1 115. Cunhcrcd lr.\ihnp; l"{1g-c 149. T"';n Sp;1l" I,,>c,rn~.
~l~.Irbox. s•."o'u" (c1i"L~ ,io"al '1:,),;lil\'). 150.1'nl1.1I.l'·;J.::lIitm .",.1
8.".I\il· il1l;lke. 116. ·I"ill',)(.)\, pilCh cUlIlrUl slrob... lip;hts.
86. 1':lIl(illl' iUlc.!;I',I, ,ill:lllk. ;letual"r. 1~51.1">1"I wing -;"m"I'ylulls
87, (:C'1('ml ~:ll""lrk 'r7IH)-(;E- 117. '1'"il,O(o\' huh (/([1l).
71J1'mhu,\h.dL I11crhal1iSIIl, 152. R''''kcl p:n k: llilU"W<';1l
88. 11llah' p;\nkk sc.;palwor. 118. As.'ynl<'trir (lIois<:: :!,;:,ill (7cm) l,'FAK 1">C'kclS,
89. rngi".' ;!(H:.\Surv "uc.:,,"a\,otl) wil 1'0\01' hlades, 153. R'Kk"'cllllclllirc.: "eM-
ct]Uipml'l1l/(l';[I'h"x', 119. T"ilpl:IIIC ('(lIl~tnl('li(l". Il 'IA ;"'li-I;II,k Illi"ik,.
90. Oil "'~,i<:r pl,'mun. 120. Tailphm<' pi\'ol )X::lril1g, 154..\li.~sik·li1\m("h "ails,
91. ( ;"S 'Ill,hi,l.: ~1;lrlc.:rl 121. (:;"1 "ri"K Ia ilw )11'.:1. 155. FIlM'la.I.(I" '''1'''1 \S"" 'If!
,. :mxiliarv pow('r \Inil.
92. S, a rI"~'Hl •'llJ.:im· n,,, li"g
122. T"il",lll'Cl ,ltud:. .,u""rocr.
123. Tailwhl...·1 1"01:.('
lairin);.
156. !\, 'an!inx Sl '"\,.
panl"!!Jlold..dOI,·n "',,"'IC"<1'1('C "11,,1'111''''111. 157. J'un lllamwlwd.
1'~llf("'''I, 124.II,mdgr;pym:ti"I<·n"nn· 158. Mai" ulld('l"":lrri;,g-l' kog-
93. Slal'h'><lr<l l'n.l{inl·l'Khaust Slcl'" strut. t
duets. 12 . ·.... illll.Ul.:C<>lllrul 159. ShO("k :11)S(>I'h.:r Strlll.
94_ API' ,·xh:m.... hwh';\lIIic;:j;,,-l. 160. Il....mlill].: ~"·I>S.
95. I"l("\,malk 5\·st... m and 126. Fin/nM"rp,loll I ~ I. :\lain unc:lcrr.uTia].:c Iq;:
"",;nIC1I1II'11",1 nOllln,1 3tlaChJJK'mjoilll. - 1>1'''' hsill);.
l't]Uipnll'tll. 127. Ch:,rl ;melll,m: c1i~IJCIISCL 162_ Alllmullilit)[l fL....~I.Uld
96. (~.,lil1g :111' L'Xh... ,,,, 128. T:ulboom nllK frames. G1nridgc r.lSe ....' um chulcs.
I",,, ,'-':>. 1%9. \'''"II';II r.tllar ".,mi,,); 163. (:"" ,,,,ht·lIill].: "M,u"li,,].:.
97. l':anid(' Sl1>ar.llurcxhau-Sl dena!. 164. AOmUlh «MII... >I
.1,onJ",bu·r. 130. T"ikunc Ir.lIll.:;I1K1 UMMII";"): fr.ml<'.
98. 'BI;t(k 110....· ",I r.>-fl..l -Slril,.I:'.·........ ''>lllKlitM'. 165. IlugllCS ,\I1:"lr\-1 Chai"
'''I'I,,~ .....,itM I "lI/o:i"c cxha...... n I. UIlt' ;'l·rl;l.I. (;, "' ;l(hnn\ :llIlU111;U ". "" "MH'
duets. 132. AllF I.."p .lcr~,1. 166. n1o.C>l ~UI'PIC.,."itMI GUillun
99. I Inh,JllIit; n;s.,''''·uir. 133. AU"- sc,,·n.sc :,\·rc,1. mu:ak.

13
 Righi: The Apache coxkpit is COCKPIT
bdtcr prO(ected than that of
any pre\'iou$ anac:k
hc1ico~er. Plan and side
ele,-allOns show the armoun~d
~ ... seats. the bla.~l/fr2gmcnt
shields around and bd..·ftn
the cockpits and the
tr.rn..spar('nt blast shield. All
annour lends 10 be hea,'y. and
100 m\1ch eats 5e"~ly into
lhe w~pon payload capacity Armour bulkhead ,.-ith b1astproof l!:lass
and fuel tankage.
Right: A, lo..··fiicker rotor; SURVIV ABILITY
D, protc:eted sen$()rs: C, radar
w"nling recei'"er; D. radar
jammcT: E. radar jammer A A ]
re<%in'r; F, ballistically
tolerant MruClure; G. TRCM
januner; H, IR suppressed
jctpipes:J, chaff/flare
di.~pcnscr; K,load.absorbing
collapsible landing gear; 1..,
low aun.1 si,l,'TIaturc; M, crash-
resistant fud cells (front and
rear): N, armuun:d special
crew scalS: 0, gun and
mounling collapses upwards;
P, strong canup}' frame
shaped to bane a iollbar effect
to prOlect crew; Q, r«essed
and protected knJiOnI: R, K
lOOKl-absorbing structure.

RUCS-back-up control s}'stem-of the FBW (fly- differclltiallr..lIlsfonner) in the cockpit, processes the
b}--wire) tn>e. This is much lighter. em be electrically signal, alld sends it to the control actuator. The Iauer
checked for intq,'li.I}' before e,lCh flight. and gives responds to thc LVDT input. enabling the pilot to Ay
perfenl)" smQOlh flight with a mllch higher lend of the helicoptcr.
safel}' than JX>SSible with a um\'cntional flight control
s)"Su;m. Fault detection and location
All primal)' Hight comrols arc ac..1uated by the
Parker Ilannilin (Benea Di\'i.~ion) dual hydraulic An equall}' complcx amI fundamcntal Oil-board sys-
systems operating at 3.000lblSlJ ill (:.1 11 kgkm~} The tem is the FDiLS (fault detection and location sys-
Bees operates through the e1eclroIllL'(:hallicll vakes t<:m). which monitors all the on-Uoanl electronic
011 the flight-control aClu<ttol'S-lhn:c Oil the main systems. The lauer are to be foulld all o\,el- the
rotor .~piders, one on the rail rotor alltl olle Oil The helimpter, but most are packaged into the big bays
stabilalOr-and also makes use of the OASi::. (di!"rital along the left and right sides of lhc nosc. Every
automatic stabilization equipment) whidl, like BUeS fum:tioning part is tied into the basic digital mutiplex
itself. is produced by Sperry. In normal op<:ratioll bus, a kind of ring-main distribution and control
the DASi::. an:cpts signals from stabilizing gyros, from systcm which handles the transfer of every bit of
the air-dam 1>}'stcm and from the pilo(s COlllrol information. This is a part of the FCC (fire-comrol
inputs. It improves all aspects of the i\pache"s fiying computcr) sllbsyst,em described in the next (\'·0 chap-
qualities b}' adding damping, refining the co- ters_ The..' FD/LS operates all the time in a continuous
ordinates of tUI"IlS, t,Liloring all inputs and pn)\'idin~ self-checking Illode. F.\<err on-bo... rd ilem is su~jected
an attitude-hold and a hover position n:lmi\·e to the to frequent automatic comparison between its real
ground \,·hencver the pilot R"tjuests it. perlorm::mce ilnd iUi ide.."ll perfonmlllcc ::IS repre-
If the prim(11)· mech:.miGu system is se\-ered or sented by malhClllatiGlI repn.."Senl::llions,
jamllled by hostile lire. the BLe - b clIg'.-lged auto- Vinuall) e\cl1' on'ionic ilem is boxed in a modular
matically_ Should this OCCUI". the l)ASE t..ah-s an form. removablc in seconds even by maintenance
electrical signal from a special LVlYI· (Iillcar vari<lble personnel \\'earing fur mittens. E.... ch box, called an
Above: Line m:ointenanceon a US Army ApaCM, showing the the avionics bays the main item is the Slllall mast Oil
excellent all-round a«e5S to the reliable 1700 engines. ~fost of
the bulk of the cowls is taken up by the IR suppressrd jopip<"S- top of the main rotor. This Gln;es btcr.I1 anns
bearing ail-.<Jma SCIlSOI-:-i at the tips. 111csc tr.Insmjt
LRU (linc-n:placcahlc Ullit). Gill be identified insl~lIlt­ e1earical signals repl"(~.<;Cntillg olllnidirectional and
ly hy the Fl)/l~,,) should a fault oo.:ur. In dIe air exact air data over the entire flight envelope. The
various measures can Ix: lakcll, often automatically, outputs are passed not oilly to the displays in both
to (]n:ulllvclIl. l,he failed ullit, and a w<lrning: caption cockpits but also to the FCC (fire-control wmputer)
or light will illuminate ill cillll.:r or both uxkpiL". 011 for the comput,uion of complex mathematics for
return to base the fault)' LRlJ GlIl simply he unplug- rocket launching and for firsl-round hits with the
gl:d ;md a scrviccahk: replacement put ill. Future gUll. Other signals go lO the sli.lbilator aCluator
Apaches will have CVCll lx:ucr FOIL") systems, Llsing computer, stabilil)' augmclU:lLioll computer alld
VHSIC (very high speed il11cgralcd circuit) technolo- Ilavigati(lIlal doppler lor Earth-wind compulatioll.
gy, while FOIL") data will also be inlerlinked with
oil-board tllaill\CII<lIlC':C n::corders for improved ill- Three engines
Leranivc participalion by operating and maintenance
crews. or course, the sOlln:e of OIl-hO;l1'd power (.-omes trom
All allack helicoptcrs need an accurate system to the gas-turbine Cllbrinl..':'I, and in fatt there are three,
me<L~ure true airspeed, drift and air density, and The main ellgilles, u~cd for propulsion, are the
possibly other parameters also. This is needed in T700s mounted outside.:: the fuselage and driving
order to aim weapons correctly. even though the through a nose gearoox Oil each side, Eadl enbrille
helicopter will probably not be travelling in the exa<..1 comprises a !,ras-gener;,uor, or l.:Ol"e, with axial and
dit-e<:tion it is pointing. On the prototype Apaches centrirll~l compreSSOI"S drivcl! h)· a two---St<lb'C air-
the air-daw sensors \"ere 011 a boom projc"<..1jng frolll cooled gods-generator turbinc, ami a ccntl,ll shaH {()
the left a\'iOllic bay, ·nle j\DSS (air-d<ILa subsystem) thc nose output gearbox dd\'en by a two-stab'C U'
in the production helicopter is the respollsibility of (Iow-pressurc) power turbine, At the frout is the
P;:lcer S)'stems, and apal1 from a large LRU in olle of heatcd inkt which incorporales an ;1l11omatic integral

I'
 particle separator. This has no moving parts and another 920 uS gal, but no inflight-refudling probe
relies on the tendency of panicles to carryon in is provided for.
straight lines while the air is sucked sharply inwards Hughes (now McDonnell Douglas Helicoplers)
to enter the axial compressor. About 95 per cent of itself developed the Black Hole IR suppression sys-
ingestt.'ci sand, du.st, salt and other material is auto- tem for the engine jetpipes. Even a modest tur-
matically rClllovc..'ci and dumped overboard by a boshah engine pumps Out more than enough heat to
blower drivcn by the cnbrine accessory gearbox. The serve as a target for a modern IR sensor or seeker
resulting intcnsely "diny" airAo\V" is blown into the he-dd, and a hot jetpipe could form a particularly
side of the IR-suppl"t."Ssed exhaust companmenL 'Juicy" target. TIlere is no possibility of reducing the
he-dt output, which depends entirely on engine pow-
Auxiliary power- unit er, but there is much that can be done to shield all
hot mctal and ooolthcjcl exhaust_ In the Black Hole
The third engine is the Carrell CTP36-55(H) APt: systcm fresh air is continuousl)· drdwn in to a large
(auxiliary power unit). Situated slightly higher up mixcr compartmcnt. Thcre are no moving pans. the
between the main engines, aft of lhe rowr mast. the pumping action being affected by the jets themselvcs.
APU is rated at 125shp (93kW), and provides Olm- The cold air mi....es with the jets, and all an cncmy can
pressed. air [or starting the main engines and electric- "see" are cool plumes of gaslair mixture emerging
ity for maintenance checking. The main engines are from large boxes without a single spot hot enough to
idcnticd, and not handed left or right. and each has trigger an IR seeker. In addition the extemal skin of
its own self-eomained lubricating oil and ignition e\·en slightly warm areas is coated \V"ith special IR
system. Fuel is housed in two crash-resistant cells in paint, resulting in extremely low signatures right
the fuselage. one ahead of the rotor and the other aa-oss the spectrum of wavelengths.
about the same distance aft, with a combined capacity
of 3I3gal (376 US g".d, 1,422 litres). For lerrying. Belo..·: The 1700 engine is domilUoted by lbe giant pipe passing
up..omts :unidship$ and ending in the aft-faeinJt e~or for _
four Kevlar aux.ili<lry underwing tanks can add ingested dirt. The inlet is at the left,jerpipe al die right.

16
 3

Apache Sensors
RO.\l LON(; hcf<)rc the 1:lUllch of the AAH aiming to g-ct vcr} Ilcar this Gtpabilit). but the

F prog',lIlll11C i. has bcclI c"idcllt thaI sensors

would pia)' a crucial and cemra] role. In the
lillie nell Siollx ScOUI there had been no sensors.
Apache still needs to be lIown m:llltlall}. thuugh with
Ihe help 01" a lot or useful "black IXJxes".
nlis chapter is concerned mainly with tht: sell~rs
Partl), because of !)(lr1o."1C1 limitations, (he small heli- Ihat sllpplemelll the eyes and ears of the CI"eW in the
mplet" had anTied lillie mission ttluipmem beyond plimary lask of kil1in~ hostile arlllOUr. Such targets
comnullliGllions 1,Idio and;1I1 opliGti sighl. Lnlortll- arc small. highl}' mohile. and CIll be found almost
natd)'. tbis was enough for if 10 fir quite llsehll anywhere. lllt~)· are Cet1:till 10 he ;IS well hidden or
1IIi.~.<iions in dear d<t)rtimc couelitlons: it has Oeo)lne a GllIl(H1Ragt..'f1 as possihle-thnugh the}' are much
IruiSIll 10 STille that US aillxl\\'cr h;L~ l>e'en W<l\-e1y more visihle when on Ihe march ..nos.'. ('Ollllll")' or
damagt:« hy the SlIlI:.hil1l: and hlue skit.."S of Califor- even along highwa}'s-and thc)' \\'ill always Ix: pro-
nia. Nevada. Ali,f.<llla allli t'\cw Mexico. F0I1un;udr, LLxted b)' fligillclling nJllCCIll1<lliollS of lliple~A (;1I11i-
the AAH \\";.L'i spcdficall)' <TCalt--<! ill order to pro\-idc airu'aft artillery. 1l00ahly thtc ZSLJ-23-"1 f()ur~harrel
bCltlT defellce agaiusl the ,tnllour of the \Varsaw
Pact powers, aud thc..'Sc "chides could be CXpc.."t.R·d to Iklow: TI>c sensor.; on a production AU·64A Apache comprise
dIe multisrnsor TAOS below and the': $impl.,r pilot'5 PNVS
roll Westwards in a mixturc of rain, SIIOW. fog and abo\·e':. All sensor.; a", complementary and the':"' is a degree of
nodundancy.
nig-hl.

Nap of the Earth flying

From the outset it was reco~ni%ed that the AAH had

10 have a o'ew of t\\'o. Even with the \l"orklO<ld
shared, rhe task or flying: the mission is a daull{ing:
one. It is necessary to II)' t\OE (n,l]) 01" the Earth),
which means heig:hts Illuch lower than the "low lever'
aTtack by a fast jet. There has 10 he ;1 relationship
berweCll t\OE heighl and Ihe hdkoplcr's speed; lhe
Apache can fiy al ~{)0111ph (:\~2k1llJh). ;llld al surh ,I
speed it is not possible to I(lilow every undulation of
brokell ground, dodge round In:es ,md skim ovcr or
uuder the wires imd ("ahlc.~ that cover !\onhcrll
Europe. In fog, sl"okc and olher conditions of bad
visibililY the safe spt.:cd has to he hl"Oughl vcry low. In
dllc wursc VJ-ISIC (VC1")' high speed iutcgraled-
t..ircllil) lcchllology willlllakc possible a largely auto-
lIlalt..'(! single-seal hdit.:upter, with avionics and sen-
sors that will perlllil stlslailtt.."(! operation at the
highcst speed the pilot wishes while always protecting
it against colli.~ion \\ ith the ground or anything
pn~iectillg up from it. '111e Ill:\\' LHX programme is

17
 23mlll <lJlLpllihious \'e1lid<:) '-lilt! SA~ts (surfan:-lo-air
missiles. all of lhcm again Glrricd 011 amphibiolls
armourt:d vehicles). The.-' hdil.:opll:r Lhus has tu 1I) lu
see without being seen. The Apache was desigllt-"XJ lu
,-,..,.,. -8 be able to slin ivc (",'en a burst of radar-aimed fire
from a ZSU-23-4. but there was no \\'a) it could be
made to slll"vi\e interception by SA~ls" At present"
like lhe Hllnerability of airfields to inslant elimination

,. ..
::.-.~
- . ...
- ....
"-

10
hy missiles, this is a problem swept under the collec-
li\·e US CI'1>et as being too dillicult to soke.

Sensors grouped in nose

\Vhat is perhaps llIllch more curiOllS is that, from thc

'---lOI! start of lhe :\:\11 programme, The main sensors havc
beell grouped ill the nose. This location rules OUI ,my
6---~
possibilitr of seeing withoUl being seen. To wat.ch th.e
enemy, or fire at him. tile Apadlc crcw have to
expuse lhe whole helicopter to vicw (l'xn~pt ill thc
special case of firing Hellfire missiles hlindly from
behind a hill a~ainst a laser-desib11lall:d targel). ·Illis
is dead)' il serious disadvantage. and it is 1l0lllluch of
all ans\\'er to point to the Apache's ability to with-
AA~IIPNVSTURRET stand hostile lire" As alt"ead}' nOled, SA~ls. could
Abo...,: 1ne PNVS (pilot's Night Vision Sensor) serve!; the flrchall the whole machine in an insl'lIlt, and a sjn~le
backseat pilot on1r- II incorporatr.'l ill SftlSith"c FUR hullet could kill the pilo\.
(fono'ard-lookine: mfn-red) senroo-. Key: 1. Ele~-ation mirror
and :U0C'411en5.~.Window co,·cr. 3, Post amplifier control When the full-scale engineering de,'elopmem of
dri,-er. 4, LEOfooilimalor ~b1)" 5. Azimuth gyroscope.
6. Infra-red imager. i. Focussing mechanism. 8, Shroud. tJu: Hughl.'S helicopTer \\~.-lS ordered, on 10 December
9, Po",'er rqulalor. 10, Visual relay multiplexer. II, Focus 1976, thl: n)llll~u:t also n_'CJuired the development of
control. 12, Cool/dewar assembly. 13, Viae<> lR preamplifier.
14, Azimuth dri,'c gimbal. .1 ,"isiollie; syslem-'1Il elet:lIunic aid to finding ;Ind
hitting targcl'>-l"apahle of bein~ used ClI night or in

SENSORS AT WORK

An idealized representation of
how Ap;tch~ helicopten mighl
opn:at", in a battl",. Advancing
behind co,"er (arrows). lhe}·
",,"entuall}" use FU.R and (l(her
seIlS()r.i (shaded ll~as) 10 dC1Cd

hostile: annQUr OIl nighl.

Ixul I\'emher, 'IS well ,l~ the fire-control equipment lauding I"'latever i5. ull<\crneath is likely to he
Ilcn~SS;H)' lO illlegrate lhi:> sptel11 \\,jlh both the area crushed and whaten:r is inside the nose is likely 10
weapon and Ihe ami-tank weapon, as desnibed in sup-·ive. As for the much !.leiter locmion of;:l1l ~tl\IS
Ihe next chapler. )'reviously all that IHld been kno\\'n (miisHHoumed sight). which accurding to ClIlTCllI
for ('crtain was that the new helicoptcr \\'oukl need a evaillatiulls h}' lour nations hrl\'cS from eiglu to 12
st;thili/.<-'d opticil sight olTeliug \'arying degn~es of limes IL'S.~ likelihood of being simI c1o\\'n. this W'l~ in
largC! magnificuion. some form of precise target- its Infant-)' in 1976. and thc Army \\'(lS anxious HI
J<Ulgillg Sp,tClll, a means of sc::cillg targeLS 011 night move quit...kly ;mel minimize risk. IUlhe author's \'iew
ami prohahly <l laser (certainly a R"t.civcr ;mel prob- not yel shaR'(! by e\'ell'one in the Anlly-an MMS
ably iI transmiller) for use in cOI\lK't.tion wilh laser- would have had a much bellcr chance of being
guideel \fCapOns, again as desClihc::e1 in Ihe next selected if it hael been realisc.'t! lhal getting the
chaplcr. Apache il1lo comhal sen'ice was going lO I<lke not the
·"Ile re<l:>OlI f(lr plluing the sensors ill 111e nose was planned 56 1ll001lhs hut another tell years.
onl)' panly 10 gi\'c Ihem the besl possihle.: field of l3y 1977 it had 1X.>ell decided \0 splil Ihe \'isionics
l'il,.'I\', The overriding faclor was that gUlls arc l11uch into IWO main illsl~IJlations. Gilled Lite TADS (larg-el
It"ss l·xlx:nsivl,.' lhall sensors, ,1l1d in a typical nash acquisition designation sight) and Lhc PNVS (pilot's

HOW THE APACHE WOULD FIGHT

I , 1 ,,,.1 , ~ , ~', 1 , 1
In this simplified diagrmn a singte Apache has ,
chanced upon a hard-skinned battle tank and a ro<:ket·
firinR truck. The sensors gi'." the two cre,,'-members
all the detail they need and e,'entually the lank is
despatched by a Hellfire and the truck by rockelS. The
situation ,,'ould not-in theorJ. at t.,,,,,t--be greatly
diff.,rent iflhe "-eather were nighl-timeor a bliuard,
T
though Iht: dispb.ym pirturrli "'outd be less distinct.

CPG's display

Fire
control
computer

-.
~ ~::::4it=30=mm=gu.===~
H'llfi~.===============!I

19
 night-vision s)'sll"m). Competitil'e de\'dopmelll was Abo'·e: In typical "hull down" position an Apache is hard 10 see
or deslrOy, Bul as il has no masl,mounled sighl, il is blind and
put in hand with l\\() possihle COllll,lnOI"'S for lhe impolenl here unlil il exposes iuelf.
complele srslem. :'\I .. nin MaricHa ali(I Northrop's
Elearo-:'\Iechanical Division at Anaheim. In the S<1.me The impression is slal1ling. and it is doulllt"ul if all}'
war the associaled missile, Hdllire. was the result of 01 man's weapons has cver look(xl so lIIll(:h like a
compelitl\'e dl::\'e!opmcnt b)' Rock\\'~JI allel Hughes menacing living 1ll0TlSIer as an :tHacking Apacbc~
(Hug'hes Aircrali. not Helicopters), though it looks a hil tToss-l.:}"cd. Oll(~ "eye" bciug
or:tng-e-yell()\\' al\(\ thc (lllltT pllrJlle-bllle! 'l'llc l':'>j VS
TAOS "bug e)'es" impression is relatively 1l110lHrllsivc. being the small IUlTct Oil
lOp.
As pre\'iol1Sly 1l00cd, \l1'otol)'l)t,;S i\VO'2 and ():1 re- Of 1fw IWO sensor \llliIS. I'NVS is III11Ch the sim-
sllilled Iheir Highl pl'Oj,(r:ll111l1CS:ll 1he end of 197H, pler. Moullted in iL~ lllrret "lxlvl.: the nose, il Gill
Ihe Ii >riner Willi 111(' Northrop ~ns()rs :lIld 03 Willi swccp to 900 1.0 lell or right. while liltcd to all}' ang-le
1he \""rtill Marict1a installation, The noses of 111<: two frotll ~W alx)vc lhe horiwwal (relalivc to Ihe helicop-
IllachillcS \,'erc visitll}' cliffc.:relll, :-J()l"! lirop g<lt (It"f llle ter) to 1.'j° dowli. Slew rate is up 10 1200 per second,
mark first, 1101 olll)' wilh the first Highl of the Fidd ot" view is ~OO X '10°, which gives a diagonal
upgr;lded O~ hUI also ill lalll\(:hil1g (unguided) Hell- H)V of ,'j(t, 'l'bl.: PNVS t:Olllains ;lll AAQ-I I ~Ik III
fires in sprillg I ~179 :l1ld in autonomous Hellfire shots lR sellSllr (lperatillg" ill tilC far-illfrared range ;tt
Llsillg the TADS in OClo!::)(:r of lhat }l:ar. h was to no ,,·aveleng-ths of 8 to 14 lllil.:l'OllS (a micron is a
avail, hn:all~ in April 19S0 lhl: choice fell 011 the millionth (If a ml:tn: (II' a thousandth nl a millimelrc).
l\lanill :'\larieua produLt. Like all such ~lIsot"'S the AAQ-li illcoq)OraleS a
Thc Ap,achc's scnsor.. hal'e sometimcs ULOCII de- locllssing mechanism. nyoKcnic dewar (\·aculIlll
s<--rihcd as "like hug ep_,:,>", III 1;l(:t thc impression is Hask) lO refriger,lle lhe S('nsiti\"t' cell 10 ;1 wI)' low
dul.: sold\' 10 the TAUS. which occlIpil.'S what l(x)ks Icmper;Hure 10 dimin;llc \I1l\,'an!t--'("1 "!Ioise" frolll tht.,
like a big 'oil'dnull li:...t.'(! tl'<llls\'el~l} under lhe nose. background. ;111 a/inltHh h')'n), ami \<Irious alll-

20
TARGET ACQUISITION PNVS
Stabilized fo£wa.-d-looking
infra_1"Cd SCnSOr to give the
pilot night vision. Azimuth
90 0 to left and right, elevation
+20 to _45°, slew rate 120°/
sec. Held of view 50°
±90 deg diagonal, xl power; far_IR
waveband at 8-14 micmns
wavelength.

TADS
Stabili7.cd sight for day tarltet
acquisition (direct optics, TV,
laser ranger/dcsignator and
lase£ s~t trackeT) and by
,, night (tUR). Azimuth 120" to
, left and right, elevation + 30 0
'/ to -60°, Slew rate 60o/sec,

±12Odeg

plihcrs, power relays and multiplexers. The result is In addition to the basic PNVS piclure the lHAUSS
a signal in video (TV) form which is passed to the also presents the pilot with a great deal of other vital
fire-control compuTer into the Honeywell Avionics information in the form of alphanumerics (letters
IHADSS (integrated helmet and display sighlillg and numbers) and bright symbols or lines. The
subsystem), which is a monocle display in front of "menu" of information varies according to whether
one eye of the wearer of a special helmet. In fact. the helicopter is in the cruise regime, or in transition
both crew-Illembers wear these special helmets, to slower NOE f]jght, or in the hover, or in the
tbough normally ollly the pilot has I HAUSS imagny bob-up manoeuvre to fire at the enemy, the regime
ill actioll. being selected by a lour-position switch 011 the pilot's
cyclic stick. For example, in cruising flight the
Thennal imaging I I-IADSS adds a heading scale across the top of the
P!\VS picture, showing current heading and desired
The IHAUSS is electronically slaved to the PNVS, so heading; a digital altitude display. plus an expanded
that the latter "looks" wherever tbe pilot is looking. altitude strip which appears the instant height above
The picture it presents, focussed in front of the ground falls below ~OOh (9Im); a rail' of dimb
pilot's eye (usually the right eye), is a bright indi<:ation; a diamond-shaped aircraft symbol. hori-
monochrome picture of the scene at which the pilot zon line and sideslip display; digital readout of
is looking, neither reduced nor magnified, ,llld total- ail~peed. and engille torque (a direct indication of
ly unaffected by the blackest night, rain, smoke or power): P!\VS line-of~sight reticle, shown in tbe
other obscuration. As it is a thermal picture, it staudard crosshair <UT:lllgetllent; amI. whell the sight
records scene temperature v,lriatiolls; W,lrrn targets selectm is in the I'!\'VS position, tbe PNVS gimbal
such as vehicles, people or any other heat source limits.
stand out brightly (usually white, but polarity can be When the Apache slows for !\OE flight, the "tran-
reversed to give black targets against a <:ooler white silion" symbols can be switched ill. These protect the
IXlCkground). heliwpter in slow flight below the treetops, providing

21
dilTen':lll cruise s)'l11bolog-y: a velocity vector consist- wide (IHO) field of view, aud a X Hi llIag-nincatioll WiTh
ing' 01' a heavy straighl lille witlt a hlack disLIt the end a narrow (1) FOV, Obviollsly the wide field is used
extending: from tile P;.JVS n.:tidc to indiGlIe the when St:an:hillg for targel~ and the high-power lIlag-
direction and rate of aircraft lllm'emen(, and an TlifiGltiOlI for sludyillg I:lrgels allel gllieliltg (mIII:lllle_
accelel',nion cursur in the form of a Slllall cil'de 10 The TV has lhn:e lllodes, a wide-FOV of <I", a
pro\'ide the pilo! with pn:dieted magnitude ;mel lIarrow-FOV of 0.9" and 'lIl um!crSGtll IIl(xk· with a
direction uf movt"lllem, Sdettio[l of Ill(: "hovel'" pencil beam of 0,45", According 10 we;:ither umdi-
mode el'ases Ihe hori/.on line and itu.:reaS<.'S the tions lhe CPG can use dirt'Ct oplics or. ill conditions
scnsiti\'ilY of the velocil}' \'(.'(.10r ami au:c1er;'l1ioll of bad weather or battlefidd sllIoke, he Gill use the
cursol' so Ihal ;Illy drill from the dl.osiI'L'11 hovering TV, \\'hich operates ill the lll:ar·iufrared_ At night he
\x)sition will be indic.lted immediiltcl), switches in the FUR which, ill ordel' to have the
:\lIlhis inlonnalioll, as \\'ell as TAOS imagery, GUl highest possible "Sttillg Glpabilit)'"' ami definition in
also be e1ispbp..-,<1 on the VSU (\'enical situation Ilea\'y precipit;lIioll or high hlllllidit), ha.<; the largest
display) or viell.,) <Iispl<l)' unit \"hich dominates lhe a\-ailable aperture of9in (229mm), If necessary it can
pilot's panel. P;.J\·S in!<)rIn;ilion Gm also be supplied back lip the PNVS. its piclUre being rebyed 10 Ihe
10 Ihe CPG in the fmm cockpit, especially should the same I I-I A055 monocle ;Illd pilot panel dispkty_
pilot be inc.'p;IGtall.'1! andlhc CPC haw to lake over Tilt:' I;L'ier SCIlSOrs in the TADS are Ix)th dirL't.1.ly
the H}illg, COnCerlK'1! with targeling and the precision ddi\'CI)'
of 1lli.~.sik'S, The L'iT is a passive n."Cei\'er'IlIllL'1llo the
Five sensors of TAOS emissioll:> of fricndl)' laser dl.'Sign'llol"'S whi{:h Gill be
aimed at target.'> by ground tnx)ps or other airu'lfl.
;\'ol'mall~ the CP(; COlln.:11I rates Oil the TAOS, which It ;'lUtomilticall} dch_'CI.~ allli lo( ks-Oll to the emissioll
is a biggel' and much more ('OmpliGued installation from such dl..'Signatl..'1.l largeL<;. alld p;l."S<.'S the targel
incorporating five ~Ilsors: DVO (direct-\'iew optics), data to the I HAUSS. ox:kpil displars ami \,'eapoll-
DTV (day tde\'ision), LRFlU (Iascr rangefinder and aimin~ <l\ionics. The lntcmational LL..er Systems
desig:natOI-, LST (hL'>Cr SIX)t lt~lcker) and FUR LRFlO is. in cotllr<lSI. all active laser. aiml..'1.! by the
(for\qrd-looking illfral'cd). The firSI lour sensOl'S GPG \'ia the TAUS tlllTl.'t ill sc]eul..'1ltargets, It thus
f(lrIn Ihe TADS daylight sensol' and ocmp}' the left Gill design,ue ';\Iltets for the Apache's own Hellfire
porrion (as seen br the crew) of the Iargc 1l<lrrd missiles, or lor Helllil'cs flred ill remote attacks b}'
container under the nose, The FUR forms the nighl other helicopters biding behind nawl,11 cover. 01' for
sensor and occupies the ri!:\llI, or slarhoard, portion, Coppedlcad Iascl'·homing shells fil't_'1.1 by frieudly
The whole inSlallation, called <t tlllTel, slews at up 10 artillery,
600 per second in a,ljlllllih 10 limits al [l0 le~~ Ihall
I~OO 10 leli or ri~hl, and rOlales 10 all elevalion of 3(jO Interchange of information
alx)\'(:, lhe helicopter's hari/,olHal axis and 60° below,
As its name Sllgg-CSts, Ihe 'I'AUS is used chieHy to find The TAOS system includes. ill addition 10 Ihe tlllTct.
largeL~, l()(-k-on to them, dClt'rtllinc range and Ix.:ar- three avionics boxes in the main avionics b<lys, <In
ing ami also provide 100scr desigmniotl, Il Gill operate ORT (opTiGll rcb,y lube) in the CPG's I'ront cockpit.
al night. alld has lilllited all-weather capability and various cockpit controls and displays, A diag-ram
lhough range is limited hy rain. snow and similar shows lhe main lwo-h:mded MSS (llluitipurpose
obscuralion wllell Il~itlg lhe Fl ,I R as the day adverse- sight system) used by lhe CPC to :lirn sensors and
wealher sensor. It is a malleI' of cost-effectiveness, weapon,~, control The TAns and night vision ;Ind

ami TAUS is Mill regarded as lhe besl lhat Glil be select gun. missiles or ro('kel,~. Though The TADS
done fur;U\ ;tttack helicopter lIsing- current lechnolo- and Pf\VS ;trI.': individual s}'~tems. each Ilonllillly
~r and a' all afTordahle price. comrolll.'1.llJy the CP<; ami pilOi respenivcly, there is
The 0'1'\' and OVO share a comlllon boresighl. full pnJ\'isioll for inlen hange of inforlll<llioll he-
looking: through the sallie optics in the lefl (hluish- tween the ox:kpits ami for tr:lIlsfCr of control if
coloured) windows ill the "ADS tlllTe!. The opliGl1 necessary_ For example, either l.rew-memlxT Gill
sighl has two 5eUill h"S, a xj.5 lllagniliGuioll wilh a spot a I<lrget. take charge and. hy lIIerd)' lexlking
siraigiu at thc 'argct through his IHADSS. cuc his
p<trlncr and wcapons 10 aim at that exac..1. spot.
Other on-board avionics include the LDNS (Iight-
weig-hl doppler n,\vig-ation system) and lIARS
(llcadillg!attillldc referCll(T system for preCision
lIavilf<uioll in NOE Hight and lor sloring lar~et
locations. a siandani radio I\D1" (aulo dirc..'Ction
finder) rdying- on ground Sial ions, :.l."t:ure U H FlAM.
VHF/i\~1 alld F:\1 mmmlllliGUions radio, and a

lightweight IFF transpondcr with a scc;ure cncoding

Below and ri;tll: The AAQ-II P:'>lVS presentS Ih'" pil<x with:a
dear bbckl..-hile mono<;hrome'picture "'hich is actuall)' a plOl
of surfa« lemperatures. Supenmposed on il arc guidance lines
and rlum",ri.,..f srmbolOln" Alllhc infOrnt.:alion can be supplied
to the I!IADSS (1Illegnated helmet and display sighting system)
shown II' use belli.....

23
 feature. Combat survivahility is great.ly increased hy sures) sel. This houses all electrically heated ceramic
LOillprehellsive illimill E\V (de<:ll"l)lli<: warfare) ;Hld briLk which forms a brilli<llllly powerful source of IR
IRC\! systems. The RWR (radar warning reLeiver) is radiatioll. whose emissions are modulated by
the Loral AI'R·39(V). whiLh is sen·...'t.1 hy two passive computer-contl'OlIed shutlers in the StllTOtlllding:
spiral helix aerials (alllcllllas) facing diagonally out- struClure to confuse (he seeker head of an oncoming
ward from the frolll of the two main avionic... bars. missile and cause it to break lock. Sp;lCelweiglll!
Two more receivers Lould he added to cover the power provisions are also made for an A VR~2 I.WR
rear. This system provides ,llltomatic warning of (laser warning receiver) above the r~t of Ihe lefl
illumination b}' almost all likely hostile radars. giving wing, To give protection ag<linst hostile r;lclars
both visual and aural warnings. and indications of throughout a mission (the AI.Q-136 being swiu:Ill.·d
bearing. idemit}, and radar operating modes. on onl)' during the bob-lip manDeu\Te) chaff Gill be
In the left avionics b<l}' is the IT1' ALQ-136(V)1 dispensed from the Tracor M-130 system, which
which, under miLroproccssol' COlllrol. pumps OUl ejeos stam!;m! chaff (or Aare) Gtl1.ridg(.'S from IXlxes
powerful jamming in the I~J b<lIlds from a transmit~ on each side ne;II' the rear (If Ihe l<tiIlX)(llll. E.ach box
ting ael-i.JI in the top of the nose. The associa.ted holds 30 p,ayloads. each 1in (25mlll) square alld
rad.ill" jammer r(.'Cci"er 'lelia I is in the lOp of the H.25in (210mllt) illlcllh'1ll.
fusclage ;Ift of the cockpit. Further b..ck. immediate-
ly aft of Ihe nltor mast. is the dustbin-like beacon of Below: The business ~nd of a fully combat-read! Apad~, anned
with AGM-114A Hellfire missil6. E'"en theALQ-1441RCM
the S;mders AI.Q-144 IRCM (infrared COUlllennea- beacon is installed, immediately behind main roc:or hub.

24
Above: This is approximately the view ahead enjoyed by an
Apache CPG (copllol!g"unner). Unusually, he sits under a roof
which slopes sharply down to meet a shallow bullet'proof
windshield, the metal canopy frame being strong enough not to
crush in most severe crashes. in the centre is the main sensor!
sight system ror aiming Hellfire missiles and rockets.

Right: The pilot's cockpit, here viewed through the "pe"

right-hand window. i .• siKJlifl~'anlly higher than that of the erG
10 give a dear view ahead over the Kcvlar scat in the front
cockpit. Between the <:ockpit. is a thick anylic panel impervious
to hullet. and splintns. This advanced pilot cockpit is hav'ing a
big influence On that ror the next generation I.HX hdimptcr.

25
 Abo"t: This ,-je..· gi,'es a dear indic:otion aflhe Ap;,tehe°s
wapons and srn.sot"5- TIle PNVS (pilot"s right viSion sensor)
abo'-c the nose is s,•.-i,-ell<:d 10 look ..lUte photogr;aphcr, and ,"ia
the IHADSS could aim lhe gun at him on a dad night.

Rj~ht: Ilead..u" aspect of 3. standanl AH-64A Apa(:hc of the US

Army. cal'rying standard annamcnt of four Ilelifire missiles and
one FFAR roc:kCf pod on each wing. The gun is in its usual
nose-up Slowed p<>_~ilion. aligned dead ah...ad fur minimum drag.

Bdo..·; 1bc right side elevation oflhe.same US Army Apache.

n.c TRC~~ Ill.",,': which b~dcasts {)ulsed "'3.,..-s of he-oil to
confuse m,s"ales IS mounted Just bdund lhe rotor. and thoe
chaff/nares box is on the side of the rear fuselage.

26
Above: Top view of the same US Anny AH-64A Apache,
showin!!; the main rotor, weapon wings, engine installations and
(aft of the rotor) the IRCM tunet. Note the extra width of the
avionics bays built on each sidc of thc forward fuselage.

'27
 Lnt: From the outset of ilS oper~lional career the primary
anti-lank weapon ofth., Apache has boeen the hefty Hellfire
missile. one of which is here being loaded b, Iwo crew members
inlo a lower inboard launch rolil. Mi..'i5ilc weight is 10111>.

Abo,-e: Left-hand side elc,-alion of an AII-64A ApacJ~ filled

...·ith the ALQ-I-H IRC:\llulT'et but ...ith no FFAR rocket
launchpod.~ outboard urIbe quadruple Hdlfireo<. r.;ose seu.sors
an: aligned forr and aft. a.~ they normallyan' ",·hen inoper.at;\-c.
 Abo~~: Under!lide v~w of Anny ApadM!' oonfil;\'red ..ith the
nornul mixed annamentof gun, lfdlfires and rockets. Whik
spots un the: rear fusclag" ,~tral box are sense aerials
(antennas) for the ADFlautomatic radio direction finder).

Below: Left·hllud side clevation of II production AH-54A

Ap<lche in the ferry' L.. mfiguration, with four auxiliar)" fuel
tank.~. With th~se in place these hclicupten can deploy under
their own power from the USA to Europe, though II is" long
grind.

29
 , .

----=
Left: Front "ie..· of the proposed Sea Ap,lt:he in its uriginal
McDonnell Douglas Helicopler Colllp;l'ly fonn. We.apons
include AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship cruise miss'le$. fF /II. R
rockets and A l~f-9LOI" -9.\1 Side..-inoo air-to-air mi"siles fur
self-<kfcnce.

:\0
Below: Lcft-.,id" elevation of the Sea Apache as proposed to the
US Nav)' in 1984·86. To fit ship parkillg spacClllhis version
would need a folding tail and thus a fUfwaro.-loc:ated tail wheel.
No defense mom,)' has yet been vOl~ for this model.

I -~,.--

Iklow \.,(1: Undersidt: ,-je... of the origin:,o.! pro~ Sea Apache. Bdo..., Looking: down from abo,"" on Ihe baseline Sea Apad~.
This has Ilt"'"er been:ll firm or fundro progr.amml', and-despile shm.ing the onginally considered ..-capon mix. No IRe\{ tnlTd
allcg:ations of at least equall?rice--Ihc Marines rna)' stick with is sho..'n, and in fact not only the equipment fil bullhl' vay
1M- AH·) W SuperCobrit ...h,ch has the s;lml' engines. hrlicupter itscU ,,'as highl)' problematical in lale ) 986.

31
Ahovc: McDonnell Douglas Hdicop.ler lcst pilots departing on a
simulated long-rJIl!:"e deplovmCnI n,ission in ferr}' (:.."figuration
wilh fourauxiliar}··tank...... ~e"'lend range from 260"m
(482km, 300 miles) ,.. 918nm (1,70Ikm. 1.057 mikos).
!..rrl' The nose Soensors with .....in T ADS (I<lrgd acquisition and
designation sight) "looking" al the pholognpheT. What aplJC"rs
10 be an cxhausl pip'" on the right s.de is a rear vicw mil'TOT.

Below: Two fully anncd Apache.; on a trd,"i"g mission O"cr the::

d<:scrt. "'OCt' huw far ~ main landi";; gears han! down ",-hen
unloaded. On the.' ground they an: 5011 and spong}'.
 4

Apache Weapons
ROt'.'t THE start of the AAH programme it guidance systems, the missile was made modular and

F was universally agreed that there would have

to be two main types of weapon 011 board. The
plimary purpose of the helicopter is to kill hostile
trials were held with homing heads using laser light,
TV guidance and IR homing on the heat of the
target.
armour, and this requires a long-range missile with a In October 1976 Rockwell was selected to enter
heavy hollow-charge warhead and all-the-way preci- FSED (full-scale engineering development) of the
sion guidance. For defensive suppressive fire a diffe- laser-seeking version, with designation AGM-114A
renT kind of area weapon system is needed, and to Hellfire (the appropriate name coming from
this end the helicopter required a powerful gun aud "helicopter-launched fire and forget". Compared
a r(){:kl:l subsystem. with TO\..\' it is appreciably larger and heavier, \\'ith a
III the lllid-1970s the obvious anti-lank missile to length of 64in (1,6260101) compared with 45.75in
choose was BG!\'I-7! TO\V, lube-laullched optically- (1,162mm) and launch weight of 101lb (45.8kg)
Lr,Kkcd and wire-guided. ils only serious operating compared with (for TOW I) 46.11b (20.9kg). This
dcficictlcy wilell fired from a helicopter-that it has
to be optically tracked and wire-guided (by transmit- Below: An earlv Apache firing rockets at desert targets in 1982.
Maximum load is four launchers each with 19 FFARs, a total of
ting the operator's steering signals along fine wires) 76. Here the inboard pylons are occupied by Hellfires.
all the way to the target-requires that the operator,
such as the CI'G in the front cockpit of an Apache,
should keep the enemy armoured vehicle clearly in
view for anything up to 13 or 14 seconds while he
steers the missile towards it. \Vith perhaps J00 hostile
~. i .... AA and SAM vehicles looking lor targets this not

only seems like an eternity but is (in the author's

view) wholly unacceptable. The US Army wisely
decided that, lor the future AAI-). a new missile
should be developed which would free the helicopter
from this long exposure.

Hellfire development

As noted earlier, Hughes Aircraft (prime conTracTor

for TOW) and Rockwell International fought for the
new missile, starting work in late 1973. The advances
that could be made over all previous anri-armour
weapons were considerable, embracing warhead size
;llld lethality, guidance precision and reliability, Right
speed, range, short Hight Time and, in most vcrsions,
The ability to plunge down from above to pierce
through the thinner top skin of the target. As there
was de;lrly something to be said for each of several

3
 enahles a more powerful solirl-pl'Opellalll rocket Above: A combat·ready Apache on m:;onlXUvres from ();il\'ison
Anny Airfield in 1986. Note the IRCM turre1 imm«liatd)' aft of
!lInlOr 10 be liud. and ilS \·ny high impulse quickly the main rot:or. The AH-64 is climbing to enpge the enemy.
ao.:dcrates Ihe Hellfire to alxllli ~Ia("h 1.1 i (around
H90mph. 1.-I32km/h), apprL"(:i;lhl)' 1~lster than allY III Ihis t·'I$C. or course. only diR"(:! fin: is possible. but
olher anli-I~lnk missile ill the \YeSlern \\"Orld. TIlis il is still possihle to lire St:\"t:ral lIli,~siks in rapid
high spe(xl rcsulls in sholt Hight-tillH':S 0\'('1" all en- successioll. lIl(wing the laser designatioll SpOI from
gag-cllICl!1 distances, preveuting the targel frolll per- Ollt: largel 10 anuthe!' to providt: lhe rcquired g-Ili-
funning cvasi\'c manoeuvres and reducing the lime dam.t: during the vital terminal phase of flight. I tl all
the bUllch ;!ircrali is exposed 10 l.:oul1!crfin:. LOAL (lock-oil "fter launch) modes lhe missile is
fired ill the direction of the targ-et. Ofl.Cll climbing to
Hellfire's engagement flexibility quite a higIT altilude provided it docs Hot cl1l.er cloud
and GtlI always "see" the target. A laser designalOr
Indeed. lhe launch airuaft ma}' nor Ix: exposed to then illuminates the target; the Hellfire inslallLlr
wliuterfire at all, f\mong the mall}' original require- delecls thc radiation scauered hum tile targel ami
meuL\ for lhe new missile W;L,\ the need 10'· indirect homes 011 it, normally plunging dowlI OIl a Sleep
lire. the lallm:h aircraft being ;Ihle 10 remain hidden angle.
and ne\cr coming within \·ie\\ of the target. In faa I f there \\CI·C 16 laser designalOrs a"ailahle. ailllL"(!
the eng.lgcmcllI Aexibilil}' 01" Hellfire is one of Ihe by friendly ground forces or other aircl<trl. thcll an
mOSt relll'II·k;lhlc of its advances, AUU)IIO!llnus de- Apache could [;lLIll<:h 16 I-Ielllires simuham.'Ously.
signation ml.'illlS that the Apache itselr ust.'"S it~ laser E...dl would C"CllIll<llly spot the radi~lliotl uf lhe
(I.RF/I» (0 illuminate the l;lrgel \\'ith la"Cr light indi"idual laser to which its guidance secktT was
exat.11)' axle<! 10 be colllpaljhle \\'ith ilS own missik>s. coded and imml..'tliatcly home on 10 its sourl.:e. '11Ii~

34
 APACHE VERSUS
FIGHTER
An Apache would not go
looking for a .'>Crdp wilh a
fighter, but could aquit itself
well. As the fighter begins the
attack by bringing ilS nose to
bear, the Apacnc could be
expected to spoil the shot by
turning into the attack and
gaining 150 to 200ft (45 to
60m) of height. This would
increase the rate of closure,
giving the fighter less time to
line up his attack, and also
would bring the helicopter's
weapons to bear.

LASER·GUlDED
MlSSILEATIACKON
ARMOUR
This diagram shows Apache
doing what it knows best.
Hiding in COver it has
eng-.tged heavy armOur using
laser-guided Hellfire missiles.
One missile has homed on to a
tank desJgnatcd by a laser
aimed by a US Army Bell OH-
58D scout helicopter. The
./ other has homed on a tank
)
de.•ignatcd by a laser aimed by
j a friendly ground unit. If
--,
- -----./---
there were 16 laser
designators available, the
Apache could launch 16
Hellfires.

ITIllotc designation is expected 10 be extremely im- The vital feature of this technique is that the
portalll ill future, the Apaches being teamed with Apache, the costly and fully armed attack member of
Bell OH-58U AHIP (Anny hdimptcr improvement the teaIll, Gill relllaiu in what Ihe Troops call a
programme) scouL IldicopllTS, which ,Ire expected to "defilade" position. which means it call slay hidr!<:n
stand ofl from the battlefield and designate targets behind uatura! ground uwer. Vo,lith remote designa-
with their lasers. They Gill do this llllH.:h more safely tion it is possible to usc either rapid (closely spaced
than can the Apaches, because the OH-5l:lD laser is in sequence) or ripple (simultaneous salvo) fire, of any
an Ml'vlS OIl a pillar high above the rotor. All the number of Helilires up 10 the maximulIl of 16. It
euemy might see is lile sphericalt()p (If the M\IS, not does, however, demand absolutely perfect teamwork.
much bigger than a beach ball. the hdicopter re- One can imagine how easy it would be to get the
maining hidden. Of course. the seoul's laser beam timing slightly wrong, or the laser coding between
must be exacliy COOl-xi for compatihility with the the designators and the missiles slightly wrong, so
Hellfire selected by the Apache CPG, or the missile lhat (for example) each missile might home on its
will fail to recognise the vital emission coming from target until it was about 1,000lt (300m) away, at
the rellective surfaces of the tal-get and will fall which point the laser would switch 10 the nexttargel.
aimlessly to one side.. rhere must also be insta_n- If Thc targets were moving then every missile would
taneous. yet secure, communication between the two miSS.
helicopters, which must throughout the engagement Everyone associated with Hellfire raves about it.
know each other's exact position. Thus, the timing illOSt of all the Apache crews. But for a considered
must be so accurate that the Apache can fire a vi~w from a highly experienced and impartial
Hell/ire a few seconds before the partner scout observer one can {:itc Maj-Gen Edward M. Browne,
helicopter aims its laser exactly on target. the USA's Apache programme manager, who said:

3,
"~I think the Hellfire system is probably the most gagemenl. wilh the rail and auwmatic lalchillg and
accuraTe and highly lethal anti-armor \\'C.lpon that I lock with thc electrical connections b'1laralllt.·t:d. The
ha\'c sc..'C1l ill the number or years I ha\'c 1x.'Cll upper part of the launcher contains the missile
associatcd with ami-armor de\'elopmcnl". Like all o>lllrol ek'Ctronics, power supply and a safe/ann
good wcapon s)'stems, HelUire is not standing still switch. An Apache prototype fired the first Hight
but cxisls in V;lI;OUS growth \'ersions and models with prototype Hellfire in :\farch 1979, and pnxluClion
alternative guidance systems, TIlanks to thc tlllxtular tests of the complete weapon system continued
design it is possible to change the S<.'Ckcr heads, three through to the end or January 1985, In numerous
alternatives being II R (imaging infr.m.x1). combined live fil;ngs the formidable I7lh (7,7kg) wadlead has
I1R and RF (radio frequency) or M\I (vcry shon been sho\\'11 to blast through an)' imaginable tank
millimetl'e-w(l\'e radar). Ea(:h h~l~ parlicular good frontal armour. let alone thin roof plating, and this is
and b.,d features, but a mix would give llIu;valled partly because jet penetratioll depends upon the
capability in all battlefield conditions, diameter of the shaped chargc and the Helllire head
TIle Apache wings are designcd to accept two has a diameter of 7in (17811l1ll), Today Hellfires arc
launchers on each side, The launchcr is of modular
design and Glt1 he Gmfigured for cilher two or four Below: Reloading FF ARs (2.75in-calibre folding.fm aircraf{
rockets) into a 19-1ubc launcher carried by a combat-ready
rails, Loading Ikllfircs is easy, with automatic en- Apache w.Jaich already has a full load of Hellfires,
Above: TI,e Hellfire laser-!?"ided missile racked up an amazing tem. FFARs (folding-fin aircraft rockets) can be
record of accuracy during u.~ de~·el()pment. In the Arache Test
Program the accuracy re£ord was 100 per cent, despIte selected and fired by either new-member, with aim-
battlefield smoke obscuration, and lighting collditions ranging ing and steering commands showlI on the IHADSS
from brilliant sunshine 10 the blackest night eng-..gernents.
or in cor~junctjon with the TADS for iuueased.
in full proouetioll, lIot only at Rockwell at a new accuracy. The crew can select any desired fuze range
plant outside Atlanta, Gcofl:,>ia, but also at 1\1;1rtin or Iree height to control detonation, as well as
\1ariena at Orlando, Florida. launching mode (singles, pairs or quads), launching
In comparison, the rocket subsystem i.~ relatively rate, quantity launched and zone launching.,h.t:ghes
simple. The basic rocket has been a staudard US Aircraft's Missile Systems Group at Canoga Park
munition for almost 35 years, but it has been sub- near Los Angeles, developed the LRLs (lightweight
jected to ongoing development. IL is a slim IUOC, rocket launchers). By incorporating sell~contained
originally known as 2.75in calibre bUlloday officially stores management, fuzing and fire control much
known as 70mll1, Most of its length is the solid rocket weight has hl:l:II saved. With four of the big M-261
motor, originally the l\1k 40 but in the latest rockets launchers (19 tuhes, or 76 rockets in all) the extra
Til(' new higher-thrust Mk 66 motor developed by the weight available for mission fuel is no less than 265lb
Kavy. At the front is the interchangeable warhead, (120kg). The smaller 7-tulx: launcher is the M-260.
which is usually a straightforward HE type with Minimum firing interval is 0.06 seconds in both
variable fuzing. At the rear are the pivoted hns launchers, and the whole system has single-switch
which, upon leaving the launcher tube, spring open BITE (built-in test equipmcut) after the rockets are
automatically and spin the rockelto stabilize its flight. loaded.
Though a long-established weapon for use against
both ground and aelial targets, il re,lChes a new peak The 30mm gun
of efficienq' in the Apache. Gnl: advance is the
option of an J\IS\V (multipurpose submunition war- This kaves the only inbuild armament, the gun. It is
head) continuing numerous slllall but deadly bomb- remarkable how lIlany modern attack helicopters
lets. Another is ani<:ulating pylons. Ro<;kcts can be today have no gun. In}he view 01 the US Army a
loaded 0)1 to all four pylons, and ill this configuration gun must be the primary AvVS (area weapon subsys-
each pylon C.ll' bl: automatically tilted according to tem), despite the considerable weight 01 the gUll and,
the rauge input from the fire-control system; greater especially, the large quantity of ammunition. As
ranges resulting ill exactly the right additional nose- noted earlier the Hughes solution was 1.0 design a
up tilt. Another advance is the cockpit control subsys- new gun from scratch for this hclic()pter, and the

3
 APACHE ARMAMENT OPTIONS A
~
~D 0
.

~~ .
,~
Performance" I
Ven roue ~bx le~1 Mi....... ion !
~fjssiuns

Allti·armour (defence) Mid-c<\St

+ + +
Winr,: Cn.
'I Ildlfin..'S 1320 rounds
Win"
'I Ildlfirt'S
of climb speed (V II)
(IRP) fpm

1.450
k"
l:i4
houn

1.83
I

Priman· Mi""io{] 40Q0ft/!:I5"F

AlIli-armour (defence) Mid-e-.l..... -1.tMMlflI!l.'i"F I Hdlfin..'S ·1.2IM) m,.lll<l~
-I Ildlfil"t."!i 1:10 l.'i I 2.67
Anti-armour (dcf"''1Kc) Micl.....' aSI -1.()(M)Cu'9.'i"F H Hdlfires 32'0 rounds 8 Itdlflrcs '00 H7 1.9
Ami-armour (deCcnre) Europe ;.'OOC:mlifft·
em·enn rom: (/\'T Cow) Mid-east 4.lXIOftJ9i"F
8 Ildlfircs
4 Helltires
1.200 rounds
1.2QO rounds
8 Ildllircs
.. HeUlires ,..,
990 ].18

"3
2.5
1.8:1
C.,,-en~ fon.... (Air Qw) .·.ump.: .. Hdllires .. Hdlfin~
1.'lOO nKlIKls >6<1 150 2-5
2.000f 10'" 19 n.d~<U 19 rockelS

..-
Airmobikt'SCOn Mid-east ·1.OOOftJIJr,·.· 19 rud:eu: 1.200 TOUlXb 19 rockeu: S60 155 1.83
.\innobik own Europe 2.OOOlilicr.. ;llO
......... . ..... _,
38 rockcu 1.200 rounds 38 rod:cu 153 2-5
, ~

result could hardl}' have been lllore successful. The CQll1rolkd in magnilude and ill timing. Equally im-
Ilughes (now ~IcDonneli Douglas) Ordnance Divi- portant is the faci lhal. as e,lcll fresh round enters
sion al Culver Cit)". Los Angeles, designed and now ;lIul p;L<;sc..-:; lhrnugh the b'l.lIl. ir is under absolute
produces the ~m, \\'hile Ilone)'\\'el1 Defense Sysrems sp,atial ami liming collirol ar all times, eliminating
supplies the ahllllunition. \"inu;llly allllonllal amlllullirioll fc..x."<.l problems.

Chain Gun details New ammunition

The gUll is oflicially 1he M230, hut i1 is cOllllIlonly The first XM230 proto1}'pe was fired in April 19i3,
called the Chain Gun because of lhe way it works Wilh bursL~ firc..>o:11hc following 11101l1h. In Sq)lcmhcr
(t<Xlay lhere an: variolls smaller Chain (;UIlS also). A of that year a 2,!)()()-rnllnd Army tri;11 was suu:cssful-
powerful 30mm \\'l:apoll, ir has a sillgk barrd and is Iy completed. Two ycars later itlxlut 250,000 roullds
externally powen.·d . by a G.5hp lllOtOr. The uui<-jue of X:Y1552 and Xr...f(J39 a111111lIllilioll had hccl! fired
fealllre when development heg'ln in December 19i2 through several C;ltaill (;UllS WillI dctail (lifferellCes.
was the rotating bolt mechanism driven by an almost In early 19iG Ihe Deparllnelll, of Defense dirccted
perfectly reliable chain. This permits a simplified Hughes to rechamber tbe gUll to fire Aden and
gUll cyde which has led to component lives and DEFA ammuniliOlL 10 adlicvc :\JA·I·() illteropcrabil-
reliability certainly not exceeded, and seldom even it}' dll1"iug Apache operations ill Europe. Though
appro,ached. by all)' other automatic weapon. Long manufactured nOw b)' Honcywell. this ne~\".alllmllni­
bolt lock time ensures that vinl/ally all gas escapes tion was developed by Hughes. thc three basic Iypes
through the 11ll1Z'lJe and nOI into Ihe action, and the 01" round being the ~1788 TI' (I<lrgcl pl'lCtice). M789
long dwell lime cnsurcs s,afely following a hangfire. HEI)P (high-explosive dual-purpose) and Mi9~) HE
The motor (hive brivcs a powerful belt pull, eliminat- (high-explosive). The m<Xlilied gun. designated
ing the need for a po\\·cn..'<.1 allllllUniliOIl booster, and fI.'f230, was fil"Sllired in March 1978. The \\'eight or
there is 110 nc.."t.-G fur c..harge~. deduu:hing fc.."t.>o:lers or the total gUll system. \\'itholll mounting. is 1231b
O1hc..'r special dcvice~. Further. a:~ all the moving pans (55.8kg); o\'erall length is 6-4.5in (1.638mm). 111e
are totally kc)c.."<.1 togelhel'. evel) llJotion is precisely gUll Gill fire from single-shol lip to 625 per minur,e.

38
Above: Fully armed Apaches are not normally rolled in service, Below: Apache stores: 16 Hellfire missiles and (L to R) fuel
e.~peeially near Ihe rugged terrain oflhe US southwesl. Allea.st tanks, FFAR launchers, 30mm gun ammunition and, behind
this view reveals many ,Iems along Ihe underside. this, 2.75in FFAR rockets

3'
 In the Apache il is installed Linder the forward also has a considerable self-protection capability
fuselage where, in a crash. it can safely be thrust lip against air threats such as dose-support aircraft and
lx:tween the cockpits. The gun is completely exposed hostile helicopters, lhouKh of course not against 'L
i.lIld hangs Ix:ncath a lightl,'cight LUITct systcm nor- stand-olf interceptor. The full ammunition load is
mally llx:ked in the ccmra! position with the gun held normally carried except in exceptionally advCfse
in the high-elcvatioll position by springs. When circumstances such as 4,OOOft (I ,220m) ah.iwdc <lnd it
selcCll.:d. the gun is frec 10 mO\·c an:onling to the 95"F (35"C) environment when the standard loading
dircetiolls COllllllitndl..'d by thc IHADSS and TADS is re<luced to 320 rounds, Rase Tcn Sysl,ems supplies
within azimuth limil'i of 100" 10 IcCt or light and four inionic subsyslem~, IWO of which arc the CCB
de"atiall limil'i of II" up and (i()" down. There arc and RC/r-,rc. Thc fonner, fhe gun <:ontrol oox.,
lm·ialable saCcI)' illlcriocks, Ihe gun being controlk-d controls gun filing, ammunition feed and dynamic
by a Lear Siegler ek'l..ll"OniC S}'Stclll. Thc basic l:.'lJn braking of me b'llli drivc motor. Thc nmnds <.:oumerl
can be supplied with diller linked or linklcss magazine controllcr stores and updatcs thc number
ammunition. In thc Apache the ammunition is con- of roullds rcmaining ill the illlUlIunitioll handling
lalne<1 in a giam box in the bouom oC the Cuselage systcm. Base TCll's Olhcr two s}'stcms ;uc the CPC·s
directly undel· the main rotor hub. with a capaeit}' oC fire-<:ontrol panel and its da(;l-clllry keylxxn-d. Lear
1,200 rounds... A linklcss feed supplies the ammuni- Siegler's TCB (turret comrol box) controls the
tion along the left side of the helicopter to the gun. a aUuators that aim the gun and compensate for its
mirror-image duet on the righl side returning the recoil. II electronically performs the complex filter-
empty cases to the magazine. ing and comrol·law calculations necessary to put the
gun exactly back on target after each shot has been
Multipurpose weapon fired . TIle TCB meets stringent accuracy require-
ments, re-aiming the gun ten limes per second..
·111e gun Conus the plimal)' area weapon, providing Below: The 30mm Chain Gun may be ourpcrfonned in some
suppressive fire agaillsi main threat air defellCx.". S and resprcts, bUI i~ reliability ex~ lhal o(an)' other gun in ilS
class. (( isa produd of McDonnell Douglas HeJioopler Co,
with the ability 10 cll."Stmy light armoured vchick"S. It Reloading Ihc magazine takes ju$t 10 nunu(eS..

40
 5

Joining the Army

EVELOl'lNG the AAH has t<lken vcry Assembly of the Apaches takes place in the totally

D mm:h longer than anyone amicipatcd 15

years ago, but the Army is gelting a helicop-
ter very much better than specifi(:ation. For example,
new plant built at .\lesa, Arizona, by Ilughes
Helicopters. On 6 January 1984 this company
became a subsidiary of I'vlcDOllnell Douglas, and on
the primary mission demanded a VROC (vertical 27 August 1985 the name was changed to tvfcDonncll
rate of climb) of 450ft/min while carrying eight Douglas Helicopter Company. Rut it was still Hughes
Hellfires. 320 rounds of ammunition and fuel for 1.8 when, on 30 September 1983, PV01, the Apache
hours at the standard Army hot day of 4,000fl Prod llction Vehicle 01, was ceremonially rolled out
altitude and 95°F. Under these conditions the actual in the presence of many dignimries and an Apache
demonstrated VROC is no less than J ,450ftfmin warrior all a white horse. At tlIat time five other
(7.4m/s), and Apaches have demonstrated sustained airframes had arrived from San Diego and were
(not vertical) rates of climb exceeding 3,OOOftllllin rapidly being turned into Apaches. Some idea of the
(lS.24m/s). It is this colossal sense of power and work involved can be seen from the fact that, when
capability that so impresses every bard-bitten pilot the helicopters look finished, some 500 umbilical
who comes to the Apache.
Below: AJ?3-che air-loading procedUn:!!i were certified at Sky
Harbor Airport, Phoenix, on 22 June 1985 when Anny and Air
The Anny's enthusiasm Force {earns pui six Apaches into this C-5A Galax)·.

Top Brass are impressed too. The b..:y man in the

whole programme-and it is his job not to write
advertising {:opy but to lean on the COlllractor-was
the former AH-G4 Program \-tanager, \-1J,j-Gen
Charles F. Drenz, LSi\. J Ie has let his enthusiasm
show many times in public, one GJIlnnent being,
"The Apache is a 21-hour machine, and we currently
crew our ships on a la-hour basis. 1 remember in
Vietnam we used to Ily our helicopters 8-10 hours a
day, but we had to put them into maintenance all
night long in order to get them up the next day. The
Apache is different. The ledmology in this helicop-
ter is similar to what we have in airliners ~oday. These
aircraft are continuously ready to take off with
another load. It's the crews that ntust be changed.
V-lith the Apache's 24-hour availability, reliability,
and the long service life we are going to gel with this
aircraft, we will need to double-crew this systCnt-
and this is good. The Apache's extraordinary
availability is further complemented by its speed and
flexibility 011 the b;luleficld; it ca.ll move very quickly
to wherever the ground commander wants it."

4
COllllectors h;l\'C w hc du.:cktxl alollg Wilh 17500 Llie lllOS! coveted award ill acrospacc. and the
\\in: terminals and connectors" Each lakes four days, :\Iatiollal AenJIlautit; Ass(x'iation finally did pick Lhe
USilig fl)rllli(lahle computerized win: ~lllaI)'Sis sys- Apadle as "thc greatest achievcmcnt in aerollauliC';"
tems. With just five Apaches on the lille the f'.ksa for 1983. On 'I April19ltlthc ArlllY aCl:eptcd \'V02,
hKilit~· looked empty, hut it "ery quitkly filll-,t! up and and these first two production artidcs havc cver since
in 19H6 reach\.,"f! its planned target of 12 lu:liwptcrs a beell illStrUlllelllet.! and usct! in Aril.Oll<l 011 Ap.'lcht
month. de,-eJopmelll. All sU!)SL"(,IUCllt Ildicoptcrs have been
Atlhc rollout (:erelllony Jal'k Real. soon to retire as deliw:red to thc Ann) fOl"training or combal dUly in
company presidellt, promised that Hughes. ant! its a massi\'t prDg"I";'llllnu: which b) 1990 aims to field 34
Apache supplier,; "ill 36 states. Canada and Wesl highl) tl";'lined auack·hclicoptc," baualiow; ("(Iuipped
German} lsillcc joiul--<I hy Isr.lclt\ircr.d"t Industries. with 612 Ap<xhes in lllany pan.~ of the world"
which pnxluc\"'S the weapon p}'lon fr.ulle and rack] One of the l<lrg:est yet most hidden faceLS of the
can be COUIllCt! Oil to perform on the Al'm)~s :-.so" , programme '\'lS reponed in a technical paper or 16
;I\"iation program". ""IICII the original first prototype :\Iay 19&-1 on "softw,lfe qualily assurance"" 'niC
YA II-&-l whined into life and lhief cxpcrimental test Apachc's llUll1el'()US avionics boxes. sensors and
pilot Ste,"e Halllc} put it through a hremhtaking WC<II)(JI\ S)'StClllS ;n"c provided by many suppliers, <lnd
Hight routine to show that it still workcd. cight ye;lrs arc progmlllllK'<.t in sc,"cr.11 compmer languaKes. It
LO the da)' aller iLS firsl Hight. IlJa~" lx: pos...iblc in future airo-aft to achieve a
coIlllllonlanguage. hm in lhe Apache it was Hughes'
21 st Century machine job 10 illll'"b>r..IIC alllhe cUlItr.lsting s}'stems to function
hanuoniollsly. Very (:ump!cx and extensi,"e test
1'\"01 ioclfhad to undergo prolonged checks before I"OUtilll:S were dc\'i$l.-<! for thc software to prove that
gelling daylighl Ilnder its \,'heels on 9 January 1984" evel) S}Slem ami weapon would work as a closely
H~t1I\-ey and copilot Ron ~Iosely ,,'ere ,,'ell pleased. integl-atcd whole. 'nle I"csuh k-<I not nnly 10 pro-
ami Jack Real madc the comment: "The Apache longed "debugging" of lhe soflware hut also to
must pcrfonn like a pn.."Cision instnllnem and )'et be phrsical engineering chang-lOS in the pnxluetion
extremely dUl";.tule tl) li,'c in the \\'ild ,,'hile serving the helicopteL
.!-\rmy around the world well into the 21 st CentUl)':' In August 1984 PV02 scored twO OUi of twO with
Ahead 01" sch(:dule, Ihis machine was formally
accepted by Lhc ArlllY on 26 Janua!"), 1984. The Below: Apacheson crew training detail 31 Hanchey Anny
Heliport, near Fort Rucl;er, Alubama. This is one of the
Army nominated Hughes to winlhe Collier Troph)', Training and Doctrine Command Sehools.
thc first produClion Hellfire missiles during tcsts at TRADOC (Training aml Donrinc COIllmand) was
the Yuma Proving Cround. Subsequcnt tcsts in- not Aown across the LS to Fon Eustis lllltilJanuary
duded lirings nnder varying cOlldiliolls, rapid lire. 19H5. Sincc thcll. 12 more have been deli\'ered to
ripples (salvos) and indirect fire with rcmote dcsigna- Fon Eustis, to the AI ALS (Army Transportation
tion. [n the sallle mOllt h SecDcf (:asJlar \Ycinberger and Aviation Logistics School), where at Felker
;lpproved the filIal illClTIllCllt of j(jO Apaches t(1 airfield 7G advanced training: devices help qualify 900
bring lhe Army programme up to li75-160 Illore lIlaintcllance test pilots and other personnel e;lCh
than the original plan. Lnit flyaway cost in Fiscal year. III addition Fort Rucker and its satellite fields
y GIl' 19H4 (1()Hars has bccn held dose to $7.8 milJiOll. have received 32 Apaches and ten Cobras equipped
but lhis docs llOt indude such costs as support alltl with P:JVS 10 handle lhe AQC.
traiuing. On 4 April 19H5 PV 14 look off from i\ksa al
7.30am local time, carrying four 2!)0 LS gal external
Apache training units tanks, and flown by two company pilots over Arizona
and California. making a turn 011 tlIe l'aci!i.c coast at
In 1984 tnining was all-important. The work began Sant;l Barbara, and then landing back at .\1esa at
with the tnining of six instruClors at rvlesa and at !).!)Opm after covcring 1,175 miles (1,89 IkIll). The
Yuma. Initial key pcrsollnel training, completed in !)Omin fuel reserve requin.:mellt \\";l~ observed. At the
.J;lI1uary 19K'), used PV04-12 except for 08 and IO S<IUH': time the [Ompally aUllounced that the Apache,

which went to the Hunter-Ligget! Reservation for in conformity with recent Defense DeparttTlem
operational testing with the Of-l-58D AilIP. whidl is mandates, was warrantcd (guaranteed) to meet or
l;lsked with tksignating Apache targets. The centre exceed stringent reliability requirements for two
for Apadlc tl-aining is Fort Rucker, Alabama. backed years or 240 flight hours. Any failure must be
up hy Fort Gordon, Georgia, and Fon Eustis, rectified with tlO cost to the United States
Virginia. It moved on in September 19H5 from the govcnunelll.
initial key course 10 the AQC (AvialOr Qualification A liule later, on 22 June I~JH5, six Apachcs werc
Course), joined by special courses for maintenance. loaded into a Military Airlift Command C-5A at Sky
avionics, weapons and other areas. The programme Harbor Airport, Phoenix, close to the l\ksa plant.
ran a lillie late, in that the first Apache delivered to Air transport requires a certain amount of disman-
tling. The cavernous C-5 (;alaxy airlifter is just able
Bd"w: Head-on view of an Apache armed only with Hellfires at to swallow six of the big helicopters, twice the
Echterdingen Army Airfield, near Stuttgart, Germany, ncar
where the Apaches might One day be most needed, number that will go into the forthconting C- I 7 and
three times as many as fit insidc the C-14IB. In this
first demonstration the Apaches were Hown direct 10
waiting Fort Rucker.

Fielding the Apache

In October 1985 the massive task of "fielding"'-

gelting the Apache into combat service-hegan in
earncst with the start of instruction by the previoLisly
trained Arnty instructors. In the sallle momh the
ArillY accepted its 50th production Apache, most of
them delivered in long cross-country flights, In
December the 59th, !<lSt of the No. 2 production
batch, was the first 10 go to Fort Hood, Texas, the
giant single-station fielding location for all Apache
combat unit training. Following completion of TRA-
DOC individual tr;tining at Rucker, Eustis and (for
avionics) Gordon, all Apache personnel go to Fon
Hood, join their combat unit and begin battalion- Abov,,: This Apadle demonsl.rated "df-d':ploymcnl (from the
USA 10 Europc:, if n«cssary) by makin!/; RI!/;hU of more than
level training.. This is administered by a special I ,J 00 miles (1,770km) with four 230 US gal eXlernallanks,
Apache Training Brigade, and a satellit.e Apache
Program Offke was established to mi.llIage all auivi!}' time several olher guard units will have beell natHed
at Fan Hood, including: Gray and I-Iood Arm}" as recipiems.
Airfields. In April 1986 ]\,kDonnell Douglas Helicopters
Today every Ap<lche that comes olTthe lI.·k-sa Iinc announced <l oew Vice-President in charge of the
goes 10 Fan H<)()(1. Ilere i, is issued to one of the AI-I~64 programme: Smarr D. Dodge. who had
im.:oming baualiolls which, when i, oomplercs iL"long previously had the colTespondingjob all the CH-47
and intensive u-ainiug probrr.lnllne, will lIy ilS full Chinook at Boeing V<.Ttol. M0110n l. Leib was
colllplemelll of helicoptcrs from Fort Hood to irs appoinlt..>d Director. AH-&I Pn~t..'{.1. Engineering,
own assigned home station, together \\'ith ever)" item while William R. "Randy" McDonnell, son of the
of support equipmcllI nl."Cdt.."{1 '0 beRio sustained p"lrclII company's Board Chairman "Sandy" l\lcDon-
comhal oper:uioos. 'llle first hauillion h'as equipped. nell. left Ihe AV-8B HarrieT II pmgr.nnme at 5t
at fion flood bel\\'CCII Febmary i.mel April 1986. but Louis 10 head the company's bid 10 Will Ihc I.IIX
this one. upon complction of ils training cycle ill probJ"]';ullme, IJIX, the next-gcnenlti()Il Aml}' heli-
1987, is 10 n~main at Fort flood. Though fully coptcr, includes an armed scout vcrsion hili is in no
combat-ready. its experience will be re<-ldily available sense a replacement lor the Apadlc. The higger
to assist in the training progr.t111111C. helicopter is expected to continue f(w llIany yeaN,
ami lIIay \Veil he the sul~ject of further orders. In
Apaches in the reserves additioll. of course, ~.fcDonneli Douglas Hdicopll.T
Compau)" hope-with a great deal of confidem:e-lo
In JanullI"}' 19R6 TWO Apaches heading for Fon will export orders. Federal ("Vest) Germany has bcclI
Eustis made a planned stopover at Raleigh-Durham publicly Hamcd as i.l po.ssibility for scvcral years.
Airpon in /'\orlh Carolina. Here tltey were sur- despite its own hailing participation ill Ihe 1':\1-1-2
rounded by cllIhusiaslic guardsmen from Company part of the l:::unKopl,er progJ-amme, and ,his explaills
D, 28th. Aviation B<\l(alion. 1'\0l1h Carolina Army that COllnt!') 's Slllall shi.lre in the Ap."lchc production
Nalional Guard. Ri.lck. in January 1985 the programme. AI:::G..Telefunken supplying the mtQr-
NCAR;.JC had ~II annoullced as ,he firsl guard or blade deicing unltml sySlCm. TIle later addition of
rcscrvc unit to recei\"t~ the Apache. Compan)" 0 Ismel Aircmli. [udLL"tries to the team also spodiglns
LX:gllll sending ;l\·iaturs for the AQC coursc 1l00Iong anodle" pOlemial ClL~lomer. and a third oountl)'
aften\'ards. and by late 1986 it expeoed to have 15 hardly likely to buy llnphing else is .Iapan.
qualifiL-d piluts and 20 Imined ma:ntcnance starr. It is i\leatl\\'hiJe, though no major change is expected
to deplo), wilh its 15 Ap."1ches in hte 1987, by h'hicll to be introduced during manufacture or the 675
hclicoptns currently funded, l\.-lcDonnell Douglas are expected 10 be fibre-reinforced thermosetting
Helicopter has plenL y of plans for improvemeIlls and materials that are cheap to produce and fabricate,
upgrades. One is the prospect of new versions lor the and resistant 10 high temperatures and LO solvenL~.
US .\Iarine Corps and Navy, as outlined in the fiml The new materials will be tested on the Apache
chapter. Others concern the sensors, weapons and nose-gearbox fairings which prqject from the ceIllre
self·defence systems, the latter including increasing of the engine inlets. According to MDHC composites
emphasis on low-ohsen'ables "stealth" characteristics. chief Joy Sen, "If these materials prove effective, the
Another possibility is increasing use of composite research could be expanded 10 study the feasibility of
structures. At present none of the primary structure, using them for Apache primary structures such as
and only 4.\ per cent by weight of secondary the fuselage and rotor blades." This could have a
structures, are of composites. But in Octobcr 1985 sih'llificant beneficial effe<..t all helicopter cost, and
the company was awarded an $806,000 Army
rese,lrch contract 10 dcvdop a ncw gcneration of Below: Thb Apache ill actually in NOE {nap of {he Earth) Hight,
almost touching the ground, during winter manoeuvres in early
composites for Apa{hc secondary structure. ·I·hese 1986 near Flagstaff, Ariwna. Snow makes its presence obvious.

-~------

4!
 6

Marine and Navy Apaches

[\'ERA!. YEARS ago whitt was then Hughes all-}-ear ~·l-hour job for the ~Iarilles. In 1983

S Helicopu'l"s beh'<Hl studying what the "el)' GIll-

able: Apache illig-hI haw to onel" other US
armed fo!"cc..;, It was dilliclllt. cenainly ill the early
Huglu..--s 'Ippoimed CeOl-ge Rock as manager of lhe
wmpany-initialed Marine C.olllsll'\a\')' Apache Prog-
ram. alld in a low key began issuinK public state-
1~I~Os. to cSlahlish a rase few a uS Air Force n~rsion. mC[IL~. III AUgllSI 19ti-t a photo~l(lph was released
bill in the Gt~ of the US Navy and .\1 arill!': Corps the s!Jo\\'illg a dC\'c!opment Apache al the ~leS<"l plant
prospects looked much brighler. Neither sct'viC{: has witll Sidewillclcrs on lallnch attachments-short cra-
allything' with [lit: combat Glpabililics of the Apadu: dles instead of die usu;]l nil-Oil the tips of the
(though Sell Barry (;o!clwater has sialcd that the helicopter's weapon wings. It was cOrlllllented at the
Apache costs less to buy than docs the .\-I<trines· time that tlte Apache h;l(l been thorollg-hly prO\'en in
/\11-1 T Cobra, alld has !"r1wn ligmes to h,tck up this more than H.OOO hours of testing. and that llle
Ulntclllion-$9.8 million for the Cobm. alld t:crt;tlll- \Iarines could Ix· offlTed ddi\"clics as carly as 198H.
Iy lhe All-I\\' Supt:rCo!lra will be much mon.: ex- 1\1\ the existing w<:-apons and scnsol'S would he
pensive slill). Be that ;L'i it may. and Gokh.'aler is retained.
usu;llIy exceedingl}" well hriefeel. the Apache GlII do
Bela...: Allhe time of writing-only one Apache, basically a
things thill bOlh St'agoing US scn'ices would find \,(:11' regular AH-64A, had Rown with Side"';nder AAMs. This
ll~'flil. particular Apache has sill«' reeeh'ed further modifications, bul
McDonnell Douglall Hdicoptc:ni has still TJOI received an)'
[\"ell in its existing fonll the Apache em do a ~reat g-o-ahead on cngmeeringde~'eloprnenlfor the Marine ~·ersion.

4fi
 By 19S5 rvlcDonnell Douglas 'ldimpters had it appears 1.0 he a retrograde move to e\'eryone
taken the nmcepls 01" :\Iarinc Corps and 1\<1\')' except maker Ilughes Aircraft. lite r lellfires would
valiams llluch further. It had UcCII <lh'l1..'"ed both be replaccd by quadruple laulichers for the TOW
would be puwcrnl by the same ut!shJIO I marinized (prol>"1bl}' TOW 2) wire-guided missile. TOW is
'"ersion of the T700 engine as the SH-GOB Scahawk alrC".-l.dy widely USL'11 h}' the :\Iarine Corps, including
helicopter. rhi.<; would preselH VillUall) no problem, the All-IT Cohra heliropler, Olher possible
Iml the ai,'fr.UIlC ancl sume equiPIllCIll items would we,lpons \\'hich ha\'e heen idemilied j<)r this version
Iu..'ed additional plutet.1jon <lg<lins( s..... h·\\~.lU.T UlITO- indude the massive 5in (127mlll) ZUlli .mack rocket
sioll. drains \\'here\t~I- wateT mi~ht collect. upgr<lded and the AIM-9L Sidewinder, the lalter far air-H)-air
Wlll.''C1 brakes. extra Lil.'110WIl poims. aUlomalil: po- self-defence. Thcre would be no change in the
wered folding of the main rOlol' (using ;:1 lIew huh scnsors carried.
design which perlllib two or I he blades 10 pin){ For Ihe Navy the prospects are more v,lIied and
through 45° to be alibJ]ll."d wilh the fuselage) for the likd)' (han~es more eXlensi\'e_ though the Lauer
storage in the hangen; of surface vessels, doppler would still hardly alfcctthe hasic heli(.'Qpter. bllt only
1 iUl;l1ial n<l\'ihratiOll, cllilanccd E~[R (eleclmmaglldil: the Illis~ion cquipmclll, The prohlem (or rather the
ntdiation) shielding. aud provisions for floating-base challenge) is that there arc scveral pOtcl11ial missions,
Iliailllell:lnec. includitlg: CAP (combat air palmi) and escort,
The proposed 1\'1arinc Corps versioll was itselflel't 0' niT (over the horizon tal'gclillg-). ami-shipping
little dl,1l1g'cd apart from 1Il,uor rC\'ision of its strike, and AF.W (airborue early w;lrning) surveill-
weapons. The 301l11l1 Chain GUll was 1.0 hc remo\'ed, ance in the ahsence of large aircraft t:arricrs. By late
because it would be likely to I1l\d limitcd lise in 1985 the "<tV}' helicopter was known as the Sea
air·to-grourul operations and \\,(ltlld "nol he a suit- Ap..'lchc, though it still (in mid-19H6) remains a
able weapon fol' the air-to-air role". Likewise. though romp;:lllY inilblivc,
All versions would probably retaill lhe T ADS!
Below: This artist's impression gi~ a dnr nrly-1986 idea of
whal the proposed Na~{ Sea Apache would look like, in this ase Pi'\VS sensors, though this is lookillg iULTC'.J.Singly
operating in the anti-ship rol" ..;lh four AGM·84 Harpoon ull<:cM'lin. A m~iOl' addition, probably lor all \'er-
cruise mlssiJrs. 1be "xaet ~"menlof Knson, gun, and
..'capon has since br.o,n r:hang<:d In detail, and may lillrT ag:ain. sion:., wuuld be a surface search and target-

4
 acquisition radar, which could be mouTHed on a mast omously detected. interrogated and engaged. This
<lbo\'e the main rmor or, if the gun were to be tactic is particularly effective d llriflg LrallsiL~ whell the
removed. in a vClIlral illslallatioll. If the lauer were c..rrier is betl\'een launches, or OIL night. or when the
chosen, the landing gears would probably be made to c..rrier deck is locked (ie, not to be USl.-d). According
relra<..t. In any case the tailwhcd would need to he to McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Company, the Sea
relocated further f()I"ward, Ix:causc to meet Nav)' Apache "offers the OTe (onicer in tactic.'l.1 com-
deck parking re<llliremems the whole tail secljon mand) the flexibility (0 station a powerful strike
would have 10 fold, Glpabilit), out Oil the fence lor day/night all-weather
air rlefense".
Sea Apache's weapons A recent addition to the Sea Ap..'lche as at present
envisaged is an automatic haul·down and deck lock-
In the uniT and anti-shipping roles the Sea ing system, if possible linked lO pO\\'ered traverse
Apache would not need a gun, but could GUT)' foul' an()s.~ the <kt:k into or Ollt of the hangar. Tlus is seen
:\(;:\1-8'1 Ha'l)()()n or AeM-JI9 Penguin cmisc mis- as L's."Cnual for rough-\\'eather operations from
siles. 'nl(~ comp'l1l)' art\,'ork shows a Sea Apache fl;g:.lte-.c"l~s ships. Additional roles now being SHl-
operating in this mle \,'ith Harpoons, and also car- died include ,-~:()n .md suppressi\'e lire lor SEAL
rying the gUll ami Sidc\\'indel' AAMs. For CAP (sealairll:tnd) oper'llil)lI~, n:l\'al gtlllfire s}X>lting and
missions the T'adar would have to have good disCl;- comb<IL SAR (sc;m:h and rescue) escort. Additional
mination against aircraft far over the horizon. Oper- weapons beillg ~tudiL'(i include Slinger dose~range
ating from all c."Coning frig:nc or similar ship "on the ail--defellce mis.~iles, Sidcann ami-radii I' missiles de-
fence" at the edge uf the task force or b..'l.ule group, rived from the Sidewinder, and V.IIlOliS Scn·ice-
the Sea Apache would mke orr armed with up to six specified GUUIOII.
AI:\I-9L or similar AAf\b and either 1,200 rounds of In September 1984 all Apache made a tour of
30mm ammllnitiOll or a (:orrespondingly greater facilities in the e:l~lern US, in the mUl3e of which il.
quamit), or 20mm or 251111ll <1I11l11l1llition, with the called at: I\AS Oceana, I\orfllik. Virh';nia: USS /nIT/'-
highest possible nlllzzle velocit)'. TIle helicopter pid, the museum c<uTicr parked 011 the Iluclson River
would fly out along the Ix:aring of the expe<'.'1.ed in New York CilY: and NAS Whiting Field, :\'lilton,
threat .md then orbit at the speed for maximulll Florida. It spent almosl a week at Ck:e:Jna, and the
endlll<ltlce. either passively or aClivdy monitoring visits cen-linly did nothing 10 han It the prospC{.1S for
the threat corridor. '!'hn::tl aircraft Gill be <lilton- the proposed Navy ami r\'hll;IlC~ versions.

AH-CYIA Spc(:ification (fwo-.o;eat all_weather anack helicopter.)

Engines. Two (;"111·",1 EII,,,tl'il T700-CE-71l1 l\ld.>oshalls, Power
ranngs: intermediatc I,fi\H,hp (I:m:lk W) ,.;" h: ()~.I n"'ling"",")
(slabiJalor) span, I Il't 1,7>1 in CI.:\~17 Ill). WinS 'l>:tt'.
17 rt 1.Hin
(:;.~27 Ill). T '-;Kk. 6ft I'\i n (2.03m). Whl'dh;IS<.'. 4 n 'Jin (105!lm).
("lite ""gi".. illojJcr;uh'I') I. n3shp (1 :?l'lf,kW). /llain rot",. diS<.; ;,"':", 1.I'\O~I.~';III'1 (11)1'\.1 I ",~).
Dimensions. [)""11l:tl'l' "I' ro,I,>!'S: Ill:Iill. 41'\11 Oin (14.6:1",): tail.
I ll1in (:?, 7!11ll), Lt.'ll~th overall: t,til 1'01<>1' ! 1I1'IIillr;.Hlft ~ill Wci!!:hts. F""!,I}' (;l(t,,;,I), 10,71)011> (-1.1'\1'\.\ kg). 1"1"",;,1 f"d,
(l1,63m); hoth ml()r~ tnl'ning. f>1'\f1 :\.Ii" (17.7hm). lleif{ln 2.+i2Ih (1,I,9Hkg). I~'(tel'llal :'l<!t'cs .(maXltlllUll,.O::XCC\J! lcn::L
O\'t'rall: over fin. 111'1 (J.:iin (:\.f,211l): olTr lail ""101' Ilfi b.(iin mlss'on). 1,IOOIb (71Ikg): (I('ny. fOllr I:mks) 1,000 It (J.ll::>kg!.
(4.2H2",); 0\'1·" ai""!;lIa ..,.1\';01' nil Ill,ti" 1'OIOr. I!ill 2,~Jin (4,G4:im). ( ;"O~'; wI,iB'h, (l'"i",,,I'X It ,i",ioll). I '1.+1:>111 (lj.~~2k:oc): (It ,axinllllll.
Fuselage "'idth 011 J"II:clk~. ~Ift IHii" (2.7~1'\,t1). 'r-,ill'l;ltlc ferr)') 21.uOOIL:. ('J..'J2(lk~).
"

Performance (primary mission gross weighl, in1t:nnediate rolled power),

SL standard day 4,OOOft, 950f
Vertical rale of climb, h (m)/min :Ur.o (7!i1l) 1.1,"10(1'12)
Maximum "'~IC of climb. h (m)/min :\.2()O(~17.'J1 '2.:iiO(783)
Maximum le~,t:1 speed, kl (mph. k",II,) l(,tl(ISI.2'17) 135 (IsO. '21'\\1)
Cruise speed, rna:" (0111 \'' '1'.
la (mph. kill/h) 100(13<1. 2\17) 1·1."1 (l!i\l. 27'2)
Di\'espeed iimil, L;,l ("'1'" km/h) 197 ('227. :i63) 1\17 ('227, 363)
Max range inll'l'llill fill' . ,ml (mill'S, km) 260 ('299, IS:!) '2l\(J 0'2'2, 51 \1)
Endu..." na:. im"no;,lllId Ih) 3.1 :t3
Standard day 95°F
Ho\'cr in gr'O:und effect. n (IU) 1:•.000(1572) Ill,:WO (:i,1 II'J)
1-10\'& out of goulld effect., fi (III) II.JOO (3.:i05) 7,000('2.131)
Servia: ailing, '2o(.'lll(, Ii (III) 2I.lMM) (IiAIM) lU,:lOO (3.139)
I""ng, Ii (Ill) 10,800 (3,2<J2) !i,lf)() (1,9.')1)

·18
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