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Aviation History
2002
2002 - 2127.PDF
efence ATTACKING APACHE Boeing's Apache attack helicopter is undergoing a thorough facelift as its market dominance is threatened by such rivals as Eurocopter's Tiger PAUL LEWIS / MESA > V \ : 1 lUtl Apache frilfc;. remain in US service for at least 25 years The Boeing AH-64 Apache has largely dominated the interna tional attack helicopter market since its 1991 Gulf War bap tism of fire, racking up a suc cession of competitive wins in, among oth ers places, the Netherlands, Singapore, the UK and more recently Japan. But Australia's selection last year of the Eurocopter Tiger finally marked the arrival of a new challenger. The Apache and Tiger are now fighting it out in Spain, after which the battlefield is expected to shift to the Nordic countries, with an emerging Finnish and eventual Norwegian and Swedish requirements. Despite having first flown in 1991, the Tiger has for many years languished in sec ond and even third place behind the Apache and older Bell AH-1 Cobra as the result of protracted development and funding delays by France and Germany. With Australia, France and Germany hav ing collectively committed to 182 heli copters, the programme has established market credibility. Eurocopter's task now is to develop Tiger into a more robust multi- mission weapons system if it is to chal lenge Apache's strong market lead. Evolution The Apache has evolved considerably since the Hughes YAH-64 first flew in 1975. US Army deliveries of AH-64As started in 1984, the year France and Germany signed their first agreement to develop the Tiger. Boeing is now midway though rebuilding 501 machines into AH-64D Apache Longbows, with the effort focused on a sustained modernisation, both for foreign military sales and the US Army, which plans to continue flying the type for another 25 years. Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan helped lift the cloud hanging over the www.flightinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 16-22 JULY 2002 99
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