Aircraft & UAVs

AH-64 Apache attack helicopter

The AH-64 Apache is a U.S. twin-engine attack helicopter built for armed reconnaissance, close combat, and precision attack missions with a 30 mm chain gun, rockets, and Hellfire missiles. In the United States-Iran Conflict, official Operation Epic Fury material identified Apaches among U.S. assets, and DVIDS imagery documented AH-64E aircraft from the 82nd Airborne Division operating with rockets and Hellfire missiles in the CENTCOM area.

Conflict side
United StatesYemeni government and coalition forces
Built by
Boeing
Built in
United States
AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, Twin-engine attack helicopter, Aircraft & UAVs

Service History

In service
First fielded in 1984; AH-64E in U.S. Army service from the 2010s
Used by
United States Army
Wars
United States-Iran Conflict

Production History

Designer
Hughes Helicopters
Designed
1970s
Built by
Boeing
Built in
United States
Produced
1980s-present
Number built
More than 2,875 Apaches across A through E models, according to Boeing
Variants
AH-64A, AH-64D Longbow, AH-64E Apache

Specifications

Crew
2
Length
48.2 feet (14.7 meters)
Rotor diameter
48 feet (14.6 meters)
Maximum operating weight
23,000 pounds (10,433 kilograms)
Maximum level flight speed
150+ knots (279+ kph)
Service ceiling
20,000 feet (6,096 meters)
Armament
Up to 16 Hellfire missiles, 76 2.75-inch rockets, and 1,200 30 mm chain gun rounds

Conflict Usage

United States-Iran Conflict
Side: United StatesRole: Counter-UAV and armed coastal security operationscounter-uavstrike

Fielded by U.S. forces during Operation Epic Fury; CENTCOM listed AH-64 Apache helicopters among U.S. assets employed against Iran, while DVIDS documented 82nd Airborne Division AH-64E aircraft conducting armed operations in the CENTCOM area.

Yemen Civil War
Side: Yemeni government and coalition forcesRole: Close air support for coalition ground operationsclose air supportstrike

Fielded by Saudi and Emirati coalition forces for attack-helicopter support in Yemen; Washington Institute analysis described Emirati and Saudi AH-64 Apache helicopters backing coalition operations around Taizz, and coalition reporting said a Saudi Apache crashed in Maareb in July 2016.

AH-64 Apache attack helicopter Images

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Sources