AH-64D Apache
Fuji / Boeing · United States · first flew 1991 · helicopter
The AH-64D Apache Longbow is a heavily armed attack helicopter, license-built in Japan by Fuji Heavy Industries for the Ground Self-Defense Force.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, rotary |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × turboshaft, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 17.73 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Tandem stepped attack-helicopter cockpit
- Stub weapons wings with pylons
- Mast-mounted Longbow radar dome
Identify it by the stepped tandem cockpit, chin turret, stub wings carrying missiles and rockets, and the disc-shaped radar dome above the four-blade main rotor.
Specifications
- The AH-64D Apache has a length of 17.73 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.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Boeing's Apache first flew in 1975 and the Longbow-radar AH-64D followed in the early 1990s. Japan selected the type for domestic production, with Fuji assembling a small batch for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.
Variants
The AH-64D introduced the mast-mounted Longbow millimetre-wave radar and improved avionics over the earlier AH-64A. Japanese examples are broadly equivalent to US Army D-models built under license.
Where you'll see it
Japan's programme was cut short after only a handful were completed, leaving a very small fleet; the type is best known from US Army and British Army service, the latter as the Westland-built WAH-64 Apache.
Related aircraft
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