(Washington, D.C.) “Don’t forget the upgraded, combat-tested AH-64 Apache attack helicopter” .. is a sentiment now alive among military planners, innovators and modernization leaders, given concerns that the Apache could get eclipsed, overshadowed or even ignored by virtue of all of the intense focus on the emerging Future Vertical Lift program.
The innovations informing the Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft and Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft are now capturing large amounts of attention given the range, speed and maneuverability and intended mission scope for the aircraft. However, how many of them will there be? When will they arrive in sufficient numbers? Won’t there still be a need to “mass” force and potentially attack in large formations with a lot of helicopters? In short, a need for the HELLFIRE-armed upgraded Apache will likely remain for many years.
Former Chairman of the Board of the National Guard Association of the United States, Ret. Mai. Gen. Micheal McGuire served many years as the leader of Arizona’s Army and Air National Guard. Naturally, he is familiar with the Apache given the extent of his combat history high-deployment op-tempo in recent years. He is among those who believe the massively upgraded Apache “E” model needs to remain a priority and fly alongside the emerging FARA.
Referring to Sun Tzu’s well known belief in the importance of “massing” forces as essential to winning wars, McGuire told me the Arizona-built Apache could prove critical in the event that the U.S. Army needed to “mass” forces in a major conflict.
“I understand the value of Future Vertical Lift in certain scenarios, but mass matters (referencing Sun Tzu)…. and if we can’t have the ability to move soldiers because we buy so many fewer airframes, we’re gonna have to think through how we get after that without breaking the budget,” McGuire said.
McGuire’s point is likely fortified by the realization that, while originally a 1980s helicopter, upgrades to the Apache make it an almost entirely new platform well suited for a modern threat environment.
Apache pilots in Afghanistan spend many years flying upgraded AH-64E-model helicopters which give the platform increased speed and performance. In development for many years and now part of the operational force, the AH-64E models use a stronger 701D helicopter engine, composite rotor blades and next-generation communications technology and avionics.
