Boeing Delivers 500th AH-64E Apache Attack Helicopter Amid Ongoing Foreign Sales

Boeing on April 16th announced a milestone int he AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopter program, after delivering the 500th aircraft of the class from its production facility in Mesa, Arizona. The Apache saw its first flight in 1975 and would enter service with the U.S. Military 11 years later, and 2486 of the helicopters of all variants have been produced. Deliveries of the new variant began in 2011, with the AH-64E benefitting from new data sharing capabilities, sensors and communications systems, new powerful engines and new composite rotor blades which facilitate superior speeds, climb rates and weapons payloads. While the U.S. Army is set to soon begin receiving a more capable class of helicopter for its own defence needs, the Apache remains in high demand overseas with a number of parties from Taiwan to India ordering new attack helicopters.

The Apache was long considered the world’s most capable aircraaft of its kind, rivalled only by the Russian Mi-35 and Mi-28, although the recent entry into service of the Russian Ka-52 has left the aircraft behind in most performance aspects - most notably in terms of payload, weaponry and engagement range. The Apache nevertheless remains one of the world's leading attack helicopters and retains considerable advantages particularly for high altitude operations, and a number of new clients including the Philippines, Morocco and Bangladesh are currently considering acquiring the platforms. The U.S. Army for its part plans to field 690 AH-64Es - of which all but 47 will be older helicopters upgraded by Boeing to the new standard