User Guide

VARIANTS
AH-64A. Production for US Army and export. All to be upgraded to AH-64D; last in
2010. Retrofit from 1993 with Sincgars secure radios and GPS; first installed in
Apaches of 5-501 Aviation Regiment on deployment to Camp Eagle, South Korea,
from March 1994, as first AH-64s in Korea.
AH-64B. Cancelled in 1992. Was planned near-term upgrade of 254 AH-64s with
improvements derived from operating experience in 1991 Gulf War, including
GPS, Sincgars radios, target handover capability, better navigation, and improved
reliability including new rotor blades.
AH-64C. Previous designation for upgrade of AH-64As to near AH-64D standard,
apart from omission of Longbow radar retention of -701 engines; provisions for
optional fitment of both; Army requested draft proposal, August 1991; funding for
two prototype conversions awarded in September 1992. With exception of AH-
64Ds and re-sales, all remaining US Army AH-64As (approximately 540) to be
modified. Designation abandoned late 1993; all Apaches to become AH-64D,
including those not fitted with radar.
AH-64D Longbow Apache. Current improvement programme based on
Westinghouse mast-mounted Longbow millimetre-wave radar and Martin Marietta
Hellfire with RF seeker; includes more powerful GE T700-GE-701C engines,
larger generators for 70 kVA peak loads, Plessey AN/ASN-157 Doppler naviga-
tion, MIL-STD-1553B databus allied to dual 1750 A processors, and a vapour
cycle cooling system for avionics; early user tests completed April 1990.
Full-scale development programme, lasting 51 months, authorised by Defense
Acquisition Board August 1990, but airframe work extended in December 1990 to
70 months to coincide with missile development; supporting modifications being
incorporated progressively; first flight of AH-64A (82-23356) with dummy Longbow
radome 11 March 1991; first (89-0192) of four AH-64D prototypes flown 15 April
1992; second (89-0228) flew 13 November 1992; fitted with radar in mid-1993 and
flown 20 August 1993; No.3 (90-0324) flown 30 June 1993; No.4 (85-25410) on 4
October 1993; No.5 (formerly AH-64C No.1) 19 January 1994 (first Apache with
new Hamilton Standard lightweight flight management computer); No.6 4 March
1994; last two mentioned converted from 85-25408 and 85-25477. Six AH-64Ds to
fly 3,300 hour test programme; production deliveries to start 1997 from planned
first batch of 24.
Following redesignation of AH-64C in late 1993, entire Army inventory to be
known as AH-64D Longbow Apache, although only 227 (original AH-64D total) to
carry Longbow radar. AH-64D to equip 26 battalions; company strength to be
three with radar plus five without; three companies per battalion. Longbow can
track flying targets and see through rain, fog, and smoke that defeat FLIR and TV;
RF Hellfire can operate at shorter ranges; it can lock-on before launch or launch
on co-ordinates and lock-on in flight; Longbow scans through 360° for aerial
targets or scans over 270° in 90° sectors for ground targets; mast-mounted
rotating antenna weighs 113 kg (250lb).
7: SPECIFICATIONS
7.5