20th Anniversary of First Boeing Apache Focuses on Durability, Enhancements to Combat-Proven System
MESA, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2003 -- Twenty years ago today, the first AH-64A Apache helicopter rolled off the assembly line at the Boeing [NYSE:BA] plant in Mesa, Ariz. Two-decades later the same plant has received technological upgrades and is now building the technologically advanced AH-64D Apache Longbow.
Boeing is working with its U.S. Army customer on the "Block III" Apache Longbow -- the next in a series of planned upgrades giving the attack helicopter new capabilities that were only concepts when the first Apaches took to the field in the mid-1980s. The significant enhancements in Block III will allow Apache Longbow to fulfill its key role in the digital army of the future for decades to come.
The first production AH-64A Apache, delivered on Sept. 30, 1983, has now come full circle. The aircraft, known as PV01, will support the Army's future in a new role. It has just completed a remanufacturing process converting it into an Apache Longbow maintenance trainer. After a long history serving as a platform for testing systems and upgrades to the Apache, the conversion took place over the last couple of years at The Boeing Company's Williams-Gateway facility in Mesa, Ariz.
"We're still building Apaches today because we have continued to look for ways to make this world-leading combat helicopter even better," said Al Winn, vice president, Apache Programs, for Boeing. "Our goal is to ensure that Apache remains the most dominant combat helicopter in the world."
Boeing delivered 821 AH-64A Apaches to the U.S. Army through 1997, and an additional 116 to five international customers. The U.S. Army has since contracted with Boeing to remanufacture 501 of those into advanced Apache Longbows through 2006. The list grows when next-generation Apaches for customers around the world are included.
The growing numbers of allied forces operating Apaches continue to keep the production line moving. Today, 11 nations rely on Apaches to meet their defense needs, and a number of potential customers are evaluating the system.
The AH-64D Apache features fully integrated avionics and weapons plus a state-of-the-art modem that transmits real-time, secure, digitized battlefield information to air and ground forces. The Apache Longbow is the world's only fourth-generation attack helicopter and the only combat helicopter in service with the ability to rapidly detect, classify, prioritize and engage stationary or moving enemy targets at standoff ranges in nearly all weather environments.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $25 billion business. It provides systems solutions to its global military, government and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; the world's largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world's largest satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA's largest contractor; and a global leader in launch services.
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Contact Info:
Carole Thompson Sutton
Army Systems
(480) 891-2119
Hal Klopper
Army Systems
(480) 891-5519
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