AH-64 Apache Helicopter Faces a Real ‘Ride or Die’ Moment

What You Need to Know: The US Army plans to extend the service life of AH-64 Apache attack helicopters into the 2070s by implementing significant improvements. Originally designed for Cold War scenarios, the Apache proved versatile in conflicts from the Gulf War to Afghanistan.

-With the cancellation of the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA), Apache’s role has become more vital and older models will now receive modernized systems. Working in conjunction with the Future Long Range Attack Aircraft (FLRAA), the upgraded Apache will enhance the Army’s capabilities.

-This decision underscores the Pentagon’s shift toward upgrading proven platforms rather than developing more costly new systems.

Army Changes Plans for AH-64 Apache

AH-64 Apache attack helicopters of the United States Army They are probably the best helicopters in the world. And because of changes the Pentagon has made in response to tighter budgets and the demands of the Ukraine War, it seems Apache It will be so updated that it will be able to continue serving the US Army until the 2070s.

In fact, the Army is creating its own version of the Air Force. B-52 Strato FortressIn this way, like the B-52, the Apache will serve longer than its designers originally intended.

This will show you that the Pentagon can really do more with less. Of course, in this case, after wasting their hard-earned tax dollars and coming up short, they are forced to do more with less. You see, as Thomas Newdick War Zone, to have reported “The modernized Apache has been scaled down somewhat compared to what it once looked like.”

In fact, Boeing, the company responsible for the AH-64 Apache, envisions these upgraded Apaches working alongside the AH-64 Apache. The Army’s Future Long-Range Attack Aircraft (FLRAA).

Key Changes Keep Army Sticking with Apaches

Interestingly, the Army’s plan Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) It is set to replace at least 91 older Delta variant AH-64 Apache helicopters. However, that plan was canceled earlier this year after the Pentagon revoked FARA. Therefore, now these 91 Deltas need to be upgraded. As Newdick assessed in his recent article, removing the FARA platform makes Apache “an even more critical asset for the Army and refocuses efforts to keep it more effective and relevant for another four decades or more.”

Apache has proven itself time and time again since it was first introduced decades ago. Designed to combat a possible Red Army invasion of Europe in the heady days of the Cold War, this weapon quickly demonstrated its effectiveness in the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan in America’s Global War on Terror (GWoT). But its real mission was to fight and win a great power war, especially on the bloody plains of Europe. With the Ukrainian War still raging and the Apache continuing to be such a popular war machine, the Army and Boeing may be returning to form with the Apache attack helicopter.

Regardless of what the Pentagon plans to do in terms of creating newer helicopters, the moment they choose to cancel their much-hyped helicopters Comanche They forced themselves to stick with the Apaches when they attacked the helicopter a decade ago. Now the Army is getting smarter. Instead of reinventing the wheel with a completely new system. They are strengthening the existing platform by upgrading the systems on Apache and combining it with newer platforms such as FLRAA to increase its lethality.

Apache Helicopter: A Very Attractive Platform

Now if we combine this with the threat Europeans perceive from Russia and the USA, a critical export in the defense arms sector emerges. The Apache is a magnificent bird that will continue to serve this country and America’s allies for decades to come. This still instills fear and hatred in the hearts and minds of America’s enemies and gives the powers that deploy these systems significant advantages over America’s great power rivals such as Russia and China.

The Pentagon should learn more from this experience and seek to extend the life cycles of many of the more expensive platforms rather than replace them with more expensive systems that will take years to build and likely rarely meet expectations.

About the Author

Brandon J. WeichertNational Interest national security analystis a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who contributes to The Washington Times, Asia Times, and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is available for purchase wherever books are sold. Weichert can be followed on Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

Image Credit: Creative Commons.