This Is All The Survival Gear That Apache Attack Helicopter Crews Fly Into Combat With
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst!
By Tyler Rogoway December 27, 2020
The War Zone
The AH-64 Apache attack helicopter just gets better with age, but its crews still have to be ready for the possibility that will they find themselves stuck on the ground behind enemy lines. Unlike most of their fixed-wing cousins, they don't have the luxury of being able to eject from their aircraft if things go terribly wrong. They also normally fly at low altitudes, which means they have less of an opportunity to get as far away from enemy forces as possible before ending up on terra firma. As such, they have to carry a unique mix of gear with them so that they have a fighting chance of surviving long enough until dedicated combat search and rescue (CSAR) assets—or even another Apache—arrives to pluck them out of harm's way.
The British Army's WAH-64D Apache Longbows have seen their fair share of combat since being introduced into service a decade and a half ago. Now the fleet is in the process of being recapitalized in the form of the more capable AH-64E Apache Guardian. You can read all about this initiative in this recent piece of ours.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38435/this-is-all-the-survival-gear-that-apache-attack-helicopter-crews-fly-into-combat-with
