Why the U.S. Army Needs a Modernized AH-64 Apache Helicopter
Story by George Landrith • Yesterday 6:02 PM
Today’s AH-64 Apache attack helicopter is known the world over as the most proven and capable attack helicopter. And it isn’t just Americans who feel this way. Our allies all across the globe agree and use the Apache as well — the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Greece, Saudi Arabia, India, Israel, Japan, Singapore, Korea, Indonesia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the Netherlands are all Apache customers.
The Pentagon has said that it wants to ride the Apache into the future for at least the next three to four decades. Given the Apache’s record of almost 5 million flight hours and more than 1.33 million combat hours – in addition to its success rate – the Pentagon’s trust in the Apache is well justified.
But every aircraft must be updated as new technologies become available so as to maintain our edge. Our adversaries are not standing still. They want to catch up and pass us. So as great an aircraft as the Apache is today, if we do not commit to an upgrade path, overtime, our advantage will begin to evaporate and erode. A continuous modernization plan is important to our future freedom and security. The good news is that modernization is far less expensive than developing an entirely new platform.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/why-the-u-s-army-needs-a-modernized-ah-64-apache-helicopter/ar-AA16CPgm?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=01baf1c5774d4978872f8e1b70bc8bd3
