Why America's Enemies Fear the AH-64E Guardian Helicopter

Why do America's

enemies

fear

the Army's Ah-64A Guardian

helicopter

? The US Army will spend billions of dollars over the next decade to upgrade its iconic Apache

helicopter

s to the latest and likely final variant, the Guardian ah-64, which has already been battle-tested in Afghanistan, the Apache. Guardian reflects the latest trends in US military doctrine, namely improved response and interoperability in drone loitering time and the ability to strike maritime targets. The Apache is among several weapons systems such as the M1 Abrams tank and the F-15E Strike Eagle that entered service. in the 1980s and proved their worth in the 1991 Gulf War.

The Apaches fired the first shots that the conflict eliminated. Iraqi low-band radars with Hellfire missiles cleared the way for initial attacks by F-117 stealth fighters. A total of 277 Apaches were deployed in the conflict, which claimed the destruction of 278 Iraqi tanks as well as many other targets, a high rate of return by the standards of most weapons systems; only one Apache was lost in combat. . Attack helicopters are responsive and relatively accurate means of unleashing heavy firepower where it is needed most. But unlike main battle tanks or fighter aircraft, even an armored helicopter is vulnerable to low-tech machine guns, anti-aircraft guns, and even rocket-propelled grenades, not to mention surface-to-air missiles and the subsequent conflicts in Afghanistan. and Iraq, an H-60 ​​force.

They continued to prove their lethal effectiveness, but were unable to avoid losses from ground fire, including during an infamous attack on the Iraqi division of Medina, in which a strike group of 31 Apaches poorly boxed in by heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft guns. The Guardian Apache was Approved in 2012, fifteen years after the procedure, an upgrade was made to the H-60 ​​4D longbow that mounted an AP G 78 radar above the rotor that allowed the Apache to detect and fire at ground targets outside the line of sight; However, this increased the Apache's unloaded weight by fifteen percent. to eleven thousand eight hundred pounds without increasing engine power to compensate the new A 864 addresses this by installing a trifecta of new systems, more powerful T 700 GE 701 D turboshaft engines, a modern front gear transmission system and new corporate rotor blades which increase the ah- 64 speeds from 140 to 180 miles per hour The Guardian Apache can thus reach the battlefield faster and loiter for longer 57 percent longer according to a field commander the new landing gear with hydraulic shock absorbers too Improved the Guardian's crashworthiness Another improvement is an Unmanned Man Team Drone Controller Datalink that allows the Guardian's co-pilot to remotely control and receive data from an Army MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone in orbit.

This allows the Apache crew to observe the battlefield before arriving and even hover behind cover waiting for the drone to identify a target. So it can deliver a devastating pop-up attack, the Apache crew can even take over manual control of the drones to paint targets with a laser or launch the drones with Hellfire missiles. The latest batch of six Guardians includes updated fire control systems that can identify and target. ships at sea presumably to launch Hellfire missiles at them. This is clearly intended to make the Apache more relevant to any possible conflict in the Pacific, as well as possible skirmishes in the Persian Gulf, although plans to make a naval version of the Apache are They became extinct a long time ago. us.

Army Apache units have been practicing deploying to ships at sea anyway. British Apaches have already operated successfully from the ocean-going amphibious assault ship HMS during the 2011 intervention in Libya. In addition to updates to computer processors and software, there are also a number of useful new gadgets. The new ground fire acquisition system mounted on the tip of the wing trunnion scans the battlefield with cameras for small arms cannon flashes and rocket-propelled grenades and automatically diverts the Apache and returns fire with its cannon. 30 millimeters linked to 16 data links. and subsequent production batches of Guardian will enable improved data sharing and networking with friendly forces.

The computer software has also been updated with a cognitive decision support system aimed at easing the workload of routine piloting tasks. The Apache Guardians first saw action in 2015, when the 1st Battalion of the 229th Aviation Regiment deployed to southern Afghanistan for seven months reported a readiness rate of 87 percent above the expected average of 80 percent. hundred. The unit commander noted that the Guardians' ability to get to the battlefield faster and loiter longer disrupted Taliban tactics that pinned them down for longer periods. The entire Guardian orbited overhead the Apaches networked with friendly drones on 60% of their raids with not only Gray Eagles but also smaller RQ 7 Shadows and Air Force Reaper and Predator drones, this allowed the Apaches to identify and destroy targets faster and thus achieve more with each one.

However, classification, training, and doctrine on how to use the drones have not yet been solidified, and the Guardians' datalinks are not yet fully functional with drone models other than the Gray Eagle. Apaches also deployed to Iraq in 2014 to provide air support to US troops. in the country and several are reportedly launching attacks against Isis in the siege of muscle the Apache is expected to remain in service until 2040 the latest contract awarded in April is to upgrade 117 Apaches for $922 million by 2018, in Ultimately, 634 Apaches will become Guardians and once completed, 56 new H-60s will be produced for added ease, many of the Apaches will serve in new active-duty attack reconnaissance battalions composed of Apaches retired from military units. the National Guard to replace the retired OAH 58 Scout helicopter 50 of The new Guardians will also enter service with the British Army and another 50 of their Apache longbows will be upgraded.

Other countries scheduled to receive an H-60 ​​with ease include India, 22 Indonesia, 8 South Korea, 36 Saudi Arabia and Taiwan. Will there be future updates to the Apache after the Guardian? Boeing definitely thought so and outlined an 864 F proposal with a variety of flight performance improvements, including more powerful engines, new short wings to provide better lift during cruise, and a articulated tail rotor. However, the military has recently indicated that it is not. interested in carrying out another major Apache upgrade because it needs funds to introduce its future next-generation vertical lift helicopter by 2030. However, new armaments are possible. Boeing has suggested laser-armed Apaches to destroy drones, while an 8h64 recently tested anti-sulfur. -The Guardian tank may be the last of the Apaches, but it seems likely to see much more action in the coming decades.