boeing ah-64 apache

Military Aircraft Forecast

Boeing AH-64 Apache

10 Year Unit Production Forecast2004 - 2013

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Years

0

20

40

60

80

100Units

Mods 79 74 45 16 43 52 62 67 79 77New Prod 9 15 19 15 12 13 15 17 18 15

Orientation

Description. Twin-engine, tandem-seat attack helicopter.

Sponsor. U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, USA.

Status. Production

Total Produced. Through 2003, a total of 1,041 AH-64 Apache helicopters had been produced.

Application. Anti-armor attack and aerial fire support.

Price Range. U.S. DoD FY94 (last year of procure-ment) unit cost of AH-64A, $16.76 million. U.S. AH-64D Longbow Apache (with FCR) program unit cost, approximately $15.2 million. New-production AH-64D, $18-$20 million.

ContractorsBoeing Army Systems, Newtown Square, PA United States, Prime

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd, http://www.fhi.co.jp/english, Subaru Bldg, 7-2-1-chome, Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8316 Japan, Tel: 81 3 3347 2525, Fax: 81 3 3347 2588, Licensee

AgustaWestland, Westland Helicopters Ltd, http://www.whl.co.uk, Lysander Road, Yeovil, BA20 2YB Somerset, United Kingdom, Tel: 44 1935 47 52 22, Fax: 44 1935 70 2131, Licensee

GE Aircraft Engines, http://www.geae.com, 1000 Western Avenue, Lynn, MA 01910-0001 United States, Tel: 1 (617) 594 -0100, Fax: 1 (617) 594-4729 (T700-GE-701 Turboshaft; T700-GE-701C Turboshaft)

Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Company Ltd, http://www.ihi.co.jp/aeroeng, 229 Tonogaya Mizuho-Machi, Nishitama-Gun, Tokyo, 190-1297 Japan, Tel: 81 425 687 7000 (T700-GE-701C Turboshaft)

October 2004

Outlook Conversions of U.S. Army AH-64As to the AH-64D standard are

continuing

The forecast also includes Block III upgrades for the U.S. Army

Boeing AH-64 Apache, Military Aircraft Forecast

Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Ltd, 4, Grosvenor Place, London, SW1X 7HH United Kingdom, Tel: 44 207 235 3641, Fax: 44 207 245 6385 (RTM322 Turboshaft)

Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd, http://www.koreaaero.com, 135, Seosomun-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, 100-737 Korea, Republic of (South), Tel: 82 2 2001 3114, Fax: 82 2 2001 3011 (Fuselage)

Technical Data(AH-64D)

Design Features. Twin-turboshaft-powered, single main rotor helicopter with single boom and tail rotor. Fixed landing gear and high energy absorbing airframe structure are employed. The engines are mounted in armored nacelles that incorporate inlet particle separators and exhaust suppressors.

Metric U.S.Dimensions Length 17.73 m 58.17 ft Height 4.05 m 13.30 ft Main rotor diameter 14.63 m 48.0 ft Tail rotor diameter 2.79 m 9.17 ft

Weight Primary mission GW 7,270 kg 16,027 lb Max T-O weight(a) 9,525 kg 21,000 lb

Capacities Max internal fuel 1,421 liters 375 U.S. gallons

Performance(b)

Max level flight speed 273 km/h 147 kt Max climb rate 803 mpm 2,635 fpm

PropulsionAH-64A/A+ (2) GE Aircraft Engines T700-GE-701 axial-centrifugal-flow free-turbine turbo-

shaft engines rated 1,265 kW (1,696 shp) each; or(2) GE Aircraft Engines T700-GE-701C turboshaft engines rated 1,417 kW (1,900

shp) each. Dash 701C engines standard from the 604th AH-64A (1990).AH-64D (2) GE Aircraft Engines T700-GE-701 engines rated 1,265 kW (1,696 shp) each; or

(2) GE Aircraft Engines T700-GE-701C engines rated 1,417 kW (1,900 shp) each; or

(2) Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 axial-centrifugal flow turboshaft engines rated 1,566 kW (2,100 shp) each.

ArmamentM230 30mm Chain Gun®; 1,200 rounds. Four underwing hard points can accommodate up to 16 HELLFIRE anti-tank missiles, up to 76 6.985-centimeter (2.75-inch) air-to-ground rockets, or a combination of HELLFIREs and rockets.

(a)With T700-GE-701 engines.(b)Sea level, standard day.

October 2004

Military Aircraft Forecast Boeing AH-64 Apache,

BOEING AH-64 APACHESource: Forecast International

AH-64 APACHESource: Boeing

Variants/UpgradesAH-64A. Baseline design and original production model. First flight of initial prototype occurred in September 1975. Deliveries began in January 1984. AH-64As from number 604 are powered by General Electric T700-GE-701C engines.

AH-64A+. Present U.S. Army inventory AH-64A aircraft are being upgraded to the A+ configuration, an interim solution to address safety and reliability problems that emerged during the aircraft’s deployment during the 1991 Gulf War. The A+ upgrades include installation of an Embedded GPS/Inertial Navigation

System (EGI), Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) secure communications, HF radios, relocated antennas and radio boosters (for improved nap-of-the-earth communications), AVR-2 laser warning receivers, ARN-149 airborne direction finders, upgrades to the M230 Chain Gun’s fire-control computer and ammunition feeder, upgrades to the TADS/PNVS, extended-range fuel tanks, and desert filtration kits.

AH-64B. Until mid-1991, the Army had planned a block upgrade of the 579 AH-64As that were not

October 2004


scheduled to be fitted with the Longbow system. The upgrade was to incorporate improved avionics, SINCGARS, an Airborne Target Handover System (ATHS), and GPS navigation. However, congressional concerns with Apache reliability drove the Army to restructure the plan to encompass 254 AH-64As to be upgraded to a new B configuration. The new AH-64B model would have incorporated the original improve-ments, plus fixes to problems identified during Operation Desert Shield/Storm. In 1992, the service dropped the B upgrade in its entirety.

AH-64D. The U.S. Army is currently remanufacturing 501 AH-64A helicopters in its fleet into the AH-64D configuration. A total of 227 of the AH-64Ds are to be fitted with the Longbow fire control radar (FCR), while the remaining AH-64Ds are to be equipped to receive the FCR, should operational requirements dictate. The FCR is part of a weapon system package that will enable the Longbow Apache to rapidly detect, classify, prioritize, and destroy enemy targets from extreme standoff ranges in virtually all weather and through battlefield obscurants. A joint venture of Lockheed

Martin and Northrop Grumman, called Longbow LLC, produces the Longbow radar. All FCR-equipped AH-64Ds will be powered by the T700-GE-701C engine.

Prior to 1994, the non-FCR-equipped configuration was known as the AH-64C. However, the Army has now decided to designate all remanufactured Apaches as AH-64Ds.

Six AH-64D Longbow prototypes were produced. The first prototype flew in April 1992. An Apache fitted with a functional Longbow FCR flew for the first time in September 1993. The initial AH-64D delivery occurred in March 1997.

Besides the Longbow FCR, the AH-64D configuration also includes an ASN-157 Doppler navigation system, a glass cockpit with multifunction displays, an Improved Data Modem, a MIL-STD-1553B databus, and provisions for carrying Stinger or other air-to-air missiles. The AH-64D is armed with a new radar frequency (RF), fire-and-forget HELLFIRE anti-armor missile.

October 2004


Program ReviewBackground. The AH-64 Apache attack helicopter was developed based upon a U.S. Army requirement for an Advanced Attack Helicopter (AAH). The AAH competition was formally announced during August 1972 and, in June 1973, Hughes Helicopters and Bell were awarded $70.3 million and $44.7 million, respectively, to develop two prototypes and a single static test airframe each. The first Hughes YAH-64A flew in September 1975, followed by the second two months later. Both companies delivered their flight test units to the Army in May 1976, and Hughes was selected as the winner in December 1976.

At that time, a 56-month Phase II engineering develop-ment cycle began, which involved modification of the prototypes to production standard, and construction of three additional flight test units. The last of these entered the flight test program in April 1980. In November 1980, a mid-air collision with a company photo chase plane destroyed prototype number four.

In 1984, Hughes Helicopters was acquired by McDonnell Douglas. In 1997, McDonnell Douglas was merged with Boeing.

AH-64A Features. The AH-64A’s four-blade tail rotor is mounted offset in order to reduce noise generated by the rotor. The helicopter also incorporates a retractable rotor mast for easier air transportability, and features folding blades and a main landing gear, which folds rearward to permit the craft to squat in a low profile. The helicopter was originally to feature a T-tail, but this posed some stability problems, and in October 1979 Hughes began flight-testing a new stabilator design, which enables the AH-64A to maintain near-level attitudes while ascending, descending, and accelerating to higher speeds. The new tail also reduces the pilot workload during nap-of-the-earth (NOE) operations. A McDonnell Douglas M230 Chain Gun 30mm weapon is located in a turret beneath the fuselage, midway between the two crew stations. The AH-64A also carries up to 16 HELLFIRE anti-armor missiles or up to 76 unguided, 6.985-centimeter (2.75-inch) rockets with explosive, marker, or chaff heads.

The aircraft is heavily armored and features redundancy of vital systems as spelled out in the AAH specifi-cations. As an example, the two cockpits are isolated by both armor plate and blast-proof glass so that a 23mm shell exploding in one part of the cockpit will not injure the other crewman. The AH-64A is fitted with the APR-39 radar warning system, and the aircraft’s IR signature is greatly reduced by the Black Hole exhaust cooler system. The AH-64A Apache is also fitted with a Teledyne fire control computer, a Kearfott lightweight Doppler navigation system, a Litton LR-80 (ASN-143)

strapdown attitude and heading reference system (AHRS), Honeywell digital automatic stabilization equipment (DASE), a Sanders ALQ-144 infrared jammer, an Astronautics Corp HSI, and a Pacer Systems omnidirectional air data system. As standard equip-ment, the aircraft has an AlliedSignal (Garrett) GTCP 36-55H single-shaft auxiliary power unit (APU) and Parker Bertea dual hydraulic systems.

TADS/PNVS. Also developed during the 56-month Phase II timeframe were the AAH’s Target Acquisition and Designation System (TADS) and the Pilot Night Vision System (PNVS). The TADS, located in a chin turret, consists of an optical telescope, a FLIR system, a high-definition TV, a laser designator/ranger, and a laser and TV tracker. The TADS turret can look 120o to either side, 60o down, or 30o up, and is controlled either by the copilot/gunner’s sighting fixture or by either crewman’s helmet-mounted sight. The latter, known as the Integrated Helmet & Display Sighting System (IHADSS), was developed by Honeywell. Mounted above the TADS is the Pilot Night Vision System, an independent FLIR imager slaved to the pilot’s head movements through his IHADSS. The PNVS can slew 45o down, 20o up, and 90o to either side. Martin Marietta and Northrop were selected from seven competing firms for development of TADS/PNVS prototype units, with Martin Marietta ultimately chosen as the winner in April 1980. The company delivered the first system in 1983.

Export Market. Export customers for new-build AH-64s include Egypt (36 AH-64As), Greece (20 AH-64As and 12 AH-64Ds), Israel (18 AH-64As and eight AH-64Ds), Saudi Arabia (12 AH-64As), the United Arab Emirates (30 AH-64As), Japan (four AH-64Ds), Kuwait (16 AH-64Ds), the Netherlands (30 AH-64Ds), Singapore (20 AH-64Ds), and the United Kingdom (67 WAH-64Ds). Israel also received 24 ex-U.S. Army AH-64As.

AH-64A Production Completed. Production of the AH-64A was completed in 1996. In April of that year, McDonnell Douglas delivered to the U.S. Army the service’s final AH-64A helicopter, marking the completion of a production run of 821 aircraft (not including prototypes and preproduction models). Production of the A version continued, with all remaining aircraft destined for non-U.S. customers. The last AH-64A was delivered by the end of 1996.

AH-64D Remanufacturing Program. The initial AH-64D delivery to the U.S. Army occurred in March 1997. The Army is remanufacturing 501 AH-64A Apaches in its fleet to the AH-64D configuration.

October 2004


The Army awarded McDonnell Douglas initial funding in late 1995 for the first 18 remanufactured AH-64Ds. This contract included provisions for a five-year agree-ment for at least 232 aircraft. In August 1996, the Army and McDonnell Douglas signed a five-year contract worth $1.9 billion for the remanufacture of 232 Apaches.

In 2000 the Army awarded Boeing a second five-year contract, worth more than $2.3 billion, for the remanu-facture of 269 AH-64As to the AH-64D configuration. This brought the total number of U.S. Army AH-64As to be converted to the new standard to 501. The first helicopter remanufactured under the new contract was redelivered to the Army in April 2002.

Dutch AH-64Ds. In April 1995, the Dutch Cabinet selected the AH-64D for the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF). Parliamentary approval of the decision was received in May 1995, and was soon followed by the signing of a Letter of Offer and Acceptance. The Netherlands purchased 30 AH-64Ds under an NLG1.3 billion ($807 million) program. Deliveries began in May 1998, and were completed in June 2002. The Dutch leased 12 U.S. Army AH-64As (at a cost of $1.00 each) to provide an early operational capability; all of these have since been returned.

The AH-64D was selected for the Dutch purchase over the Bell AH-1W Cobra, the Eurocopter Tiger, and the Agusta A129. Originally, none of the Dutch Apaches were to be equipped with the Longbow fire control radar. However, in November 1999, the Pentagon announced that the Dutch government had requested a possible sale of 30 Longbow radars. The radars would be installed on the AH-64Ds.

In June 2003, the Dutch Ministry of Defense announced plans to withdraw six of the AH-64Ds from service and sell them.

British AH-64Ds. In July 1995, the British Ministry of Defence selected the AH-64D to meet the U.K.’s requirement for a new attack helicopter. In a program worth approximately GBP2.5 billion ($4.0 billion), the U.K. is acquiring a total of 67 Apaches. Besides the Apache, other competitors for the British procurement had included the Bell/GEC-Marconi Cobra Venom (based on the AH-1W) and the Tiger.

Boeing was teamed with AgustaWestland on the U.K. program. The initial eight British Apaches were produced by Boeing in the U.S., while AgustaWestland assembled the remaining 59 in the U.K. using Boeing-supplied kits. The British Apaches are called WAH-64Ds.

The British decision to procure the Apache was particularly notable in that only 67 rotorcraft were purchased. The government had set aside funding for 91 Apaches, but could only afford 67, as it chose to make an up-front investment in the Longbow fire control radar. All 67 helicopters are equipped with the Longbow radar.

Another noteworthy feature of the British announce-ment was the decision to power the Apaches with the Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 engine. The power-plant for U.S. Army and all other Apaches is the General Electric T700. The first flight of an RTM322-powered Apache occurred in May 1998. This helicopter was a re-engined AH-64D on loan from the U.S. Army.

The initial delivery of a WAH-64D to the British Army occurred in March 2000. This helicopter was one of the eight WAH-64Ds that had been produced by Boeing in Mesa, Arizona. The first of the 59 WAH-64Ds built by AgustaWestland made its initial flight in mid-July 2000. It was delivered to the British Army later that month. Deliveries of the 67 WAH-64Ds to the service were completed in July 2004.

October 2004


FundingRecent and planned U.S. Army AH-64 funding is as follows:

U.S. FUNDING FY02 FY03 FY04 FY05 (Req) QTY AMT QTY AMT QTY AMT QTY AMTLongbow - 908.4 - 885.0 - 795.3 - 668.6Less: AdvanceProc (PY) - -44.8 - -32.1 - -46.1 - -14.1Total - 863.6 - 852.8 - 749.1 - 654.5Longbow AdvanceProc (CY) - 32.1 - 46.1 - 14.1 - - AH-64 Mods - 45.8 - 125.9 - 65.0 - 37.2All $ are in millions.

Recent ContractsAward

Contractor ($ millions) Date/DescriptionBoeing $3.3 Sep 2003 - Increment as part of a $14.7 million contract from U.S. Army

for AH-64D Joint Tactical Radio System development and demon-stration.

Boeing $212.8 Sep 2003 - Contract modification from U.S. Army for 16 AH-64D Apache Longbow aircraft.

Boeing $23.1 Oct 2003 - Contract modification from U.S. Army for three remanu-factured AH-64D Apache Longbow aircraft.

TimetableMonth Year Major DevelopmentAug 1972 AAH competition announcedNov 1972 RFPs issued to industrySep 1975 YAH-64A first flightMay 1976 Bell/Hughes competitive fly-off beginsDec 1976 Hughes YAH-64A selected as winning designLate 1979 Initial HELLFIRE missile firing tests beginApr 1980 Martin Marietta TADS/PNVS selected for production aircraftApr 1982 Production decision; initial procurementJan 1984 First AH-64A deliveryApr 1992 First flight of initial AH-64D prototypeMar 1997 Initial AH-64D Longbow Apache delivery to U.S. ArmyBeyond 2004 Production/remanufacturing to continue

October 2004


Worldwide Distribution(July 2004)

Egypt 27 AH-64A8 AH-64D; conversions

Greece 20 AH-64AIsrael 40 AH-64ANetherlands 30 AH-64DSaudi Arabia 12 AH-64ASingapore 8 AH-64DUAE 30 AH-64AU.K. 67 WAH-64DU.S. 363 AH-64A

366 AH-64D; conversions

Forecast RationaleIn September 2003, the Greek Ministry of Defense signed a contract with Boeing for the purchase of 12 AH-64Ds with an option to purchase a further four helicopters. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2007. Exercise of the option for the four additional Apaches will likely not occur until 2006 at the earliest.

Also in September 2003, Boeing was awarded a $212.8 million contract by the U.S. Army to produce 16 AH-64Ds for Kuwait. The 16 helicopters are expected to be delivered by the end of 2006.

The last of 20 AH-64Ds is scheduled to be delivered to Singapore by early 2006. Eight of the helicopters had been delivered by mid-2004.

Deliveries of 67 WAH-64Ds to the British Army were concluded in July 2004. Early WAH-64Ds are currently receiving a number of modifications, including instal-lation of a new communications suite from Thales, a Smiths health and usage monitoring system, and the BAE Systems Helicopter Integrated Defensive Aids Suite (HIDAS).

The first 18 WAH-64Ds were built to the baseline design, and will receive all of the modifications. The next 19 helicopters will require only some of the modifications, as these helicopters were delivered with at least some of the systems already installed. All WAH-64Ds from the 38th aircraft onward were delivered with all of the enhancements already fitted. Retrofits of the 37 early WAH-64Ds are scheduled to be completed by mid-2005. The retrofit program is being conducted at AgustaWestland’s production plant in Yeovil.

Israel is acquiring eight new-production AH-64Ds, plus four AH-64Ds that are to be remanufactured from

existing Israeli AH-64As. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2005. Eventually, six more Israeli AH-64As may also be converted to the D standard.

In August 2001, the Japan Defense Agency (JDA) announced that the selection of the AH-64D to replace Bell AH-1s in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) fleet. Up to 80 AH-64Ds are to be procured. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2006. Fuji Heavy Industries is building the helicopters in Japan under license. Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI) is building the helicopters’ T700-GE-701C engines in Japan under license.

Funding for the initial two AH-64Ds was included in the JDA’s FY02 budget. Two more were funded in the FY03 budget. In its FY04 budget request, the JDA requested funding for two additional AH-64Ds.

Considerable potential exists for further AH-64D sales. Egypt and Singapore might each acquire 12 new-build AH-64Ds to add to their respective Apache fleets. Saudi Arabia could also acquire additional Apaches. The AH-64D can also be expected to compete to fill requirements in Finland, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, and Turkey.

As for AH-64D remanufacturing, the U.S. Army awarded Boeing a $242 million contract in 2001 to modify 35 Egyptian AH-64As to the AH-64D con-figuration. At least eight have been converted so far. It is possible that all 35 helicopters may not be converted.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have had discussions with Boeing about upgrading their existing AH-64As to the D configuration. The UAE, though, could decide to acquire new-build AH-64Ds instead. Greece might also decide to convert its existing Apaches to the D standard.

October 2004


The U.S. Army is currently remanufacturing 501 of its AH-64As into AH-64Ds. At present, the service does not plan to extend this program beyond the 501 conversions.

The Army’s initial 284 AH-64Ds, encompassing Lots 1-6 of the remanufacturing program, were built in the original configuration now known as Block I. Starting with Lot 7, and continuing through the remainder of the 501 planned conversions, AH-64Ds are being delivered to the service in a Block II con-figuration. Block II includes new avionics, digital enhancements, and communications upgrades. Among the systems added are a digital map, a high-frequency radio, and JVMF messaging. The initial Block II aircraft was delivered to the Army in February 2003.

The Army also plans a Block III upgrade of the AH-4D. Block III is to include a series of structural, propulsion, and avionics modifications to the helicopter. Initially, the service had planned that only the 284 Block I aircraft would undergo the Block III modifications. However, with funding freed up from the cancellation of the RAH-66 Comanche, the Army now intends to modify all 501 AH-64Ds to the Block III standard. Redeliveries of Block III aircraft are slated to begin in October 2007.

Among other items, the Block III upgrade may include an open system avionics architecture, the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS), fly-by-wire flight controls, the General Electric T700-GE-701D engine, a new transmission, and composite rotor blades.

Ten-Year OutlookNew Production

ESTIMATED CALENDAR YEAR PRODUCTION

High Confidence Good Confidence SpeculativeLevel Level

TotalAircraft (Engine) thru 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 04-13BOEINGAH-64D (EXPORT) T700-GE-701C 38 3 15 17 13 10 9 10 11 12 10 110WAH-64D (U.K.) RTM322 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Subtotal - BOEING 46 3 15 17 13 10 9 10 11 12 10 110

MCDONNELL DOUGLAS HELICOPTERAH-64A (EXPORT) T700-GE-701C 116 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0AH-64A (U.S. ARMY) T700-GE-701 608 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0AH-64A (U.S. ARMY) T700-GE-701C 218 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Subtotal - MCDONNELL DOUGLAS HELICOPTER 942 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

AGUSTAWESTLAND (Licensee)WAH-64D (U.K.) RTM322 53 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6Subtotal - AGUSTAWESTLAND (Licensee) 53 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6

FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES (Licensee)AH-64D (JAPAN) T700-GE-701C 0 0 0 2 2 2 4 5 6 6 5 32Subtotal - FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES (Licensee) 0 0 0 2 2 2 4 5 6 6 5 32

Total Production 1041 9 15 19 15 12 13 15 17 18 15 148

Major ModificationsESTIMATED CALENDAR YEAR PRODUCTION

High Confidence Good Confidence SpeculativeLevel Level

TotalAircraft (Engine) thru 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 04-13BOEINGAH-64D (EXPORT MOD)(a) T700-GE-701C 0 11 10 10 8 7 7 8 7 7 5 80AH-64D (U.S. ARMY MOD)(a) T700-GE-701/701C 340 68 64 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 167AH-64D BL 3 (US ARMY MOD)(a) T700-GE-701D (MOD) 0 0 0 0 8 36 45 54 60 72 72 347Total Production 340 79 74 45 16 43 52 62 67 79 77 594

(a)Modification program; not new production aircraft.

October 2004

boeing ah-64 apache

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