Boeing AH-64 Apache

what is it?

The Hughes/McDonnell Douglas/Boeing AH-64 Apache ( ə-PATCH-ee) is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. Nose-mounted sensors help acquire targets and provide night vision. It carries a 30 mm (1.18 in) M230 chain gun under its forward fuselage and four hardpoints on stub-wing pylons for armament and stores, typically AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 rocket pods.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 turboshaft engines · 14.6 m main rotor

base stats

• speed 293 km/htop speed
• range 476 kmwithout refuelling
• size 10.4 tmax take-off weight
• built 2,000made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 51 years ago, in 1975.
• 🏎️Top speed is 2.3× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Rotor of 14.6 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.

turboshaft: A turbine that turns a shaft, usually a helicopter rotor.

spec sheet

first flight

1975-09-30

introduced

1984

status

still flying

number built

2,000

role

attack helicopter

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

McDonnell Douglas, AgustaWestland, Boeing Defense, Space & Security, Hughes Helicopters

engines

2× General Electric T700-GE-701

crew

2

length

17.7 m

rotor diameter

14.6 m

height

3.9 m

max take-off weight

10.4 t

top speed

293 km/h

cruise speed

265 km/h

range

476 km

ceiling

6,096 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

family