Nose-mounted sensors help acquire targets and provide night vision. It carries a 30 mm 1. Redundant systems help it survive combat damage. The prototype YAH first flew on 30 September The U. The helicopter was introduced to U. Army service in April As of March , over 5, Apaches have been delivered to the U. Army and 18 international partners and allies. Primarily operated by the U. Israel uses the Apache to fight in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. British and Dutch Apaches were deployed to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq beginning in and After the AH Cheyenne was cancelled in in favor of projects like the U.
The Army wanted an aircraft better than the AH-1 Cobra in firepower, performance, and range. It would have the maneuverability for terrain following nap-of-the-earth NoE flying. In July , the U. This began the phase 1 of the competition. Reasons for selecting the YAHA included its more damage tolerant four-blade main rotor and the instability of the YAH's tricycle landing gear arrangement. In , three pre-production AHAs were handed over to the U.
Army for Operational Test II. The Army testing was successful, but afterward it was decided to upgrade to the more powerful TGE version of engine, rated at 1, shp 1, kW. The AH was named the Apache in late , after the Apache tribe, following the tradition of naming Army helicopters after Native American tribes.
It was approved for full-scale production in A Department of Defense engineering analysis by the inspector general's office reported that significant design deficiencies still needed to be addressed by the contractor. The Army project manager Col. William H. Forster published a list of action items. In , the four foot-long main rotor blades, each made from steel and composite material glued together to maximize strength and minimize weight by the Composite Structures Division of Alcoa Composites, were added to the list.
The steel-composite rotors could not meet the Army specification for a life of flight hours, and needed replacement after just hours. After six changes to the design, the rotor blade life was extended to hours by early As of the AHE is being produced at an economical rate of 82 aircraft a year.
