UK secures 50th and final AH-64E Apache helicopter
Image: Photo by Corporal Rebecca Brown / MoD Crown Copyright 2024
The final airframe was handed over to the UK at Boeing’s manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona, USA.
The UK’s operational fleet is now fully established at the Army’s Wattisham Flying Station in Suffolk, while the training fleet is complete at the Army Aviation Centre in Middle Wallop, Hampshire.
As well as providing a cutting-edge capability for operations around the globe, the Apache programme supports the UK Government’s growth agenda by supporting more than 300 jobs at Boeing Defence UK (BDUK). Around 6% of the global spend on Apache is in the UK, which benefits 75 UK companies including 33 small-to-medium enterprises.
Mark Langrill, Defence Equipment & Support’s Director Rotary Wing & Uncrewed Air Systems, was in the US to accept the final helicopter along with members of DE&S’ Apache Delivery Team and the British Army. He said: “We are incredibly proud to accept such a cutting-edge capability and to receive the final airframe of the British Army fleet. The Apache programme is being delivered by a team drawn from across DE&S, industry and our British Army colleagues, all of whom share a common goal to bring the most up to date version of this outstanding battle-winning aircraft into service while creating and supporting jobs and skills in the UK.”
Procured by DE&S through a £1.7 billion Foreign Military Sale with the US Government, the AH-64E combines parts from the Mk1 (D-model) Apache that served the British Army so well for more than two decades, with a new fuselage and updated technology.
Operated by 1st Aviation Brigade Combat Team, it is a twin-engine, tandem-seat helicopter designed to accomplish operations at day or night, in a range of weather conditions and environments.
The modernised engines, optical and thermal sights, sensors and radar enable the aircraft to fly faster, to see and strike targets at greater ranges. With a top speed of over 300kph, it also benefits from reduced sensor-to-shooter time through Crewed Un-Crewed Teaming, increased tactical agility with more timely and relevant decision making through a Cognitive Decision Aiding System.
It can passively geolocate radar threats without giving away the aircraft’s position, detect more than 1,000 targets including ships and drones, classifying 256 and prioritising the top 16 in seconds.
The crew can strike and destroy land, maritime and air targets using up to 1,160 30mm automatic cannon rounds, up to 76 wing-mounted 70mm Hydra or Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System rockets, and up to 16 Hellfire and Joint Air to Ground Missiles.
Survivability is greatly increased with advanced situational awareness displays, Hostile Fire Indicators, geolocation of launch points, backed by a modernised Defensive Aid Suite. This is further enhanced by a layered effect of on- and off-board sensors automatically sharing threat data using Link 16 datalinks.
Colonel David Amlôt MBE, of the British Army’s Combat Aviation Programmes, said: “The AH-64E Apache Guardian is the most advanced Attack Helicopter in the world. Battle tested and modernised, it is a fully integrated weapon system designed to fight multi-domain operations in highly contested, complex battlespace in the harshest environments from the desert to the Arctic.
“The AH-64E is a critical part of UK deterrence and forms an integral part of the British Army Offer to the NATO New Force Model and Forward Land Forces.
“Through this procurement, we will see an increased interoperability with our NATO and allied partners, with an expected 19 nations operating the Apache by the end of the decade, further strengthening our collective deterrence.”
The new fleet became operationally ready for the Army in 2023. It has already proven highly effective on various exercises and operations around the globe.
From the Arctic tundra to the deserts of Jordan, it plays a vital role in the UK’s offer to the NATO New Force Model. This has included deploying across Europe to Estonia, Finland and Sweden on Exercises SWIFT RESPONSE and STEADFAST DEFENDER last year.
BDUK is providing the long-term training and support service for the new AH-64E fleet. The 20-year agreement with DE&S has created around 315 jobs at Middle Wallop and Wattisham, including apprentices.
Maria Laine, president of Boeing UK, Ireland and the Nordics, said: “Delivering the 50th E-model Apache to the British Army marks a significant achievement in Boeing’s enduring alliance with the United Kingdom, a relationship that spans more than 80 years.
“I am immensely proud of our global team for their dedication in delivering and supporting this advanced Apache fleet, a vital capability that will bolster UK national security for decades to come.”
The 50th Apache will remain in the US for software testing to enable advanced teaming with Uncrewed Air Systems before being delivered to the UK in 2026.
