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Further Reading

AH-64D Operations

During Army operational testing in 1995, all six Longbow Apache prototypes competed against standard AH-64A Apaches. The threat array developed to test the combat capabilities of the two Apache designs was a postulated 2004 lethal and digitized force consisting of heavy armor, air defense and countermeasures. The tests clearly demonstrated that Longbow Apaches:

• Were 400 percent more lethal (hitting more targets) than the AH-64A, then described as the most capable and advanced armed helicopter in the world to enter service.
• Were 720 percent more survivable than the AH-64A.
• Met or exceeded Army requirements for both target engagement range and for probability of acquiring a selected target. The specific requirements and results are classified.
• Easily hit moving and stationary tanks on an obscured, dirty battlefield from a range of more than 7 kilometers, when optical systems were rendered ineffective.
• Could use either its Target Acquisition Designation Sight (TADS) or FCR as a targeting sight, offering increased battlefield flexibility.
• Had the ability to initiate the radar scan, detect and classify more than 128 targets, prioritize the 16 most dangerous targets, transmit the information to other aircraft, and initiate a precision attack -- all in 30 seconds or less.
• Required one third less maintenance man hours (3.4) per flight hour than the requirement.
• Are able to fly 91 percent of the time -- 11 percent more than the requirement.

One issue uncovered during the Initial Operational Test that required follow-on testing involved the method of employment of the Longbow Hellfire missile. During the force-on-force phase, Longbow flight crews frequently elected to override the system's automatic mode selection logic and fire missiles from a masked position. This powerful technique was seen as having the potential to significantly increase the helicopter's survivability, but had not been validated with live missile firings during developmental or operational testing. DOT&E worked with the Army to develop a test plan that would confirm system performance using this firing technique. The test program would include computer simulation of the missile's target acquisition and fly-out as well as live missile firings at moving armored vehicles.

Opportunities to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness, suitability, and survivability of the AH-64A/D aircraft under combat conditions abounded during operations in FY02 against al Qaeda and Taliban fighters in Afghanistan and in FY03 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Results of subsequent combat deployments and training exercises confirmed the results of the 1995 IOT&E assessment for the Longbow Apache helicopter. The AH-64D helicopter provides effective air-to-ground combat power. The Army afteraction reports from the Iraq conflict conclude that the Longbow Apache aircraft survives, protects the crew, and can be quickly repaired and returned to combat. Still, it was noted that improvements to the Apache aircraft and training devices could enhance the aircraft's effectiveness. The Army was expected to consider accelerating the procurement and fielding of M-TADS to enable target identification at standoff ranges. Additionally, the Army was to incorporate "running/diving fire" engagement tactics, techniques, and procedures, as well as dynamic engagements during peacetime training. This training would be especially beneficial in the Longbow qualification training at Fort Rucker, Alabama, and during unit aerial gunnery training.

In March 2003 one Apache Longbow was downed and 14 others received hostile fire outside Baghdad early during Operation Iraqi Freedom, after facing a hail of small-arms fire from the ground. These aircraft had been deployed on a deep-attack mission, a dicey affair that usually requires excellent intelligence, refueling sites, a rescue plan and "rally" points where crews can meet and successfully leave the area. The Iraqis were waiting for the AH-64Ds. They used cell phones to give advance notice to the troops, who Curtin said were told: "As soon as you hear them, fill the sky with lead." Controversy later ensued over whether the costly Longbows, a high-tech version of the tank-killing AH-64A Apache, were unnecessarily exposed to enemy fire on that mission.

After its early setbacks, V Corps planners scrambled to find a new role for the AH-64A Apache and its modern high-tech cousin, the AH-64D Longbow, while the units chafed to get back into the fight. They returned as infantry escorts, flying into battle with tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles, destroying enemy trucks and guns at the call of commanders on the ground.