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Boeing Delivers 30th AH-64D Apache to Royal Netherlands Air Force

MESA, Ariz., June 10, 2002 -- The Royal Netherlands Air Force, or RNLAF, has accepted delivery of its 30th Boeing [NYSE: BA] AH-64D Apache multirole combat helicopter in a ceremony held at Boeing in Mesa. The commander in chief of the RNLAF, Lt. Gen. D.L. Berlijn, accepted the final aircraft under a 1995 contractual agreement.

Representatives of the RNLAF, the U.S. Army, the Apache industry team, and Arizona government and civic leaders attended the ceremony. The first AH-64D for The Netherlands was delivered in April 1998, although RNLAF pilots began to fly AH-64A Apaches leased from the U.S. Army two years earlier. In 1996, 23 RNLAF AH-64A Apache pilots and support crews became the first international unit to complete the U.S. Army's intensive collective training program.

AH-64D Apaches flown by the RNLAF also logged a major Apache milestone -- the first international deployment of AH-64Ds -- when the RNLAF aircraft were sent to Djibouti, Africa, in support of a NATO peacekeeping mission.

The RNLAF uses its Apaches for armed escort and reconnaissance duties. Both are new capabilities for that service, which had not flown armed helicopters in the past.

Boeing developed the AH-64D Apache for the U.S. Army, which flies its Apaches with the fire control radar and weapon system. Boeing has delivered more than 1,000 Apaches to customers around the world, with plans to deliver 1,000 more through the end of this decade.

The AH-64D Apache fulfills a wide range of reconnaissance and combat missions, most without the need to reconfigure ordnance loads and electronic systems between missions. The advanced, multi-mission AH-64D Apache features fully integrated avionics and weapons plus state-of-the-art digital communications capabilities that enable real-time, secure transfer of battlefield information to air and ground forces. The AH-64D incorporates a series of enhancements that make it more survivable in combat, readily deployable and easier to maintain.

The Boeing Company is the world's largest manufacturer of satellites, commercial jetliners and military aircraft. In terms of sales, Boeing is the largest exporter in the United States. Total company revenues for 2001 were $58 billion.

Boeing Military Aircraft and Missile Systems designs, produces and provides follow-on support for fighters, bombers, transports, rotorcraft and weapons for the United States and its allies around the globe. As the world's largest military aircraft manufacturer, Boeing has delivered more than 130,000 military aircraft to the U.S. government and international customers. Among emerging businesses are unmanned systems, as well as military aircraft that are based on the company's renowned commercial airplanes.

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Contact Info:
Carole Thompson- Sutton
(480) 891-2119
carole.j.thompson-sutton@boeing.com

Hal Klopper
(480) 891-5519
hal.g.klopper@boeing.com