Boeing Completes Delivery of 2500th AH-64 Apache Gunship

Boeing on Tuesday announced it completed delivery of its 2,500th AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, an E-model Apache for the U.S. Army.

The first production AH-64, an A-model Apache, rolled off the assembly line on September 30, 1983, and was delivered by Boeing heritage company McDonnell Douglas to the U.S. Army in January 1984.

Legacy Apache deliveries, including new-build and remanufactured helicopters, include 937 A-models through 1997, more than 1,000 AH-64Ds between 1997 and 2013, and more than 500 E-models since 2011.

The most recent customer for the Apache gunship is Morocco that placed an order for 24 aircraft last week.

Today’s E-model Apache is designed and equipped with an open systems architecture including the latest communications, navigation, sensor and weapon systems. It has an improved Modernized Target Acquisition Designation System that provides day, night and all-weather target information, as well as night vision navigation capability. In addition to classifying ground and air targets, the Fire Control Radar has been updated to operate in a maritime environment. The helicopter’s improved drive system includes a split-torque face gear transmission, a 701D engine and composite main rotor blades that ensure the Apache succeeds as a stable aerial weapons-delivery platform.