Westland WAH-64D Apache

AgustaWestland · United Kingdom · first flew 1998 · helicopter

The WAH-64D Apache is the British licence-built version of the Boeing AH-64D Longbow Apache attack helicopter, assembled by Westland with Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca RTM322 engines.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	2 × turboshaft, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	17.7 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Tandem stepped armoured cockpit
Nose sensor turret and chin gun
Mast-mounted Longbow radar dome

Identify the tandem stepped armoured cockpit, the nose sensor turret and undernose chin gun, and the distinctive mast-mounted Longbow radar dome above the four-blade main rotor and stub weapons wings.

Specifications

The Westland WAH-64D Apache has a length of 17.7 m (58 ft).
It has a wingspan of 14.63 m (48 ft).
Its maximum speed is 293 km/h (182 mph).
Typical crew: 2 (pilot and gunner).

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The base AH-64 first flew in 1975, and the first WAH-64 built for the UK flew in 1998. Westland assembled the aircraft from Boeing-supplied kits, fitting British engines and equipment. It entered British Army service as the Apache AH.1 and was later upgraded toward the AH-64E standard as the Apache AH.64E.

Variants

The UK operates the WAH-64D/Apache AH.1 with the mast-mounted Longbow fire-control radar, subsequently modernised to the newer AH-64E-derived British standard.

Where you'll see it

The Apache is the British Army Air Corps's principal attack helicopter, having seen intensive operational service in Afghanistan and over Libya from the deck of HMS Ocean, making it a well-known UK type.

Related aircraft

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