TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES IN THE AH-64 APACHE ADVANCED ATTACK HELICOPTER

The AH-64 Apache Advanced Attack Helicopter has recently been put into production and will be entering the U.S. Army inventory in the near future. In order to achieve the many advanced characteristics desired by the U. S. Army, many technology advances were incorporated in the design of the Apache. This paper describes these technology advances in the rotor systems, drive system, control system, airframe, engine, avionics and weaponization. These component advances have resulted in major improvements in combat performance, structural integrity, crashworthiness, invulnerability and environmental capability.