. . . Two new Apache 'E' Guardian's arrived by road at Wattisham yesterday.
Mmmm . . .
United Kingdom
Main article:
AgustaWestland Apache
UK Army Air Corps Westland WAH-64D Apache Longbow displays at a UK airshow
The UK currently operates a modified version of the Apache Longbow; initially called the Westland WAH-64 Apache, it is designated the Apache AH1 by the British Army.
Westland built 67 WAH-64 Apaches under license from Boeing,
[181] following a competition between the
Eurocopter Tiger and the Apache for the British Army's new Attack Helicopter in 1995.
[182][183] Important deviations made by AgustaWestland from the U.S. Apache variants include changing to more powerful Rolls-Royce engines,[184] and the addition of a folding blade assembly for use on naval ships.[185]
On 11 July 2016, the Ministry of Defence confirmed a U.S. Foreign Military Sale worth $2.3 billion for 50 AH-64Es to be built in Mesa, Arizona. Leonardo Helicopters in the UK is to maintain the current fleet of Apaches until 2023–2024, with a long-term plan for Leonardo and other UK companies to "do most of the work" on the new fleet.
[186] The deal includes an initial support contract for maintenance of the new helicopters, along with spare parts and training simulators for UK pilots.
The first UK helicopters are due off the U.S. production line in early 2020 and will begin entering service with the British Army in 2022.
"To further guarantee value for money, systems from the current Apache fleet, such as the Modernised Target Acquisition & Designation System, and the Longbow Fire Control Radar, will be reused and incorporated into the new helicopters where possible."[187] Approval for the re-manufacture of fifty of the UK's WAH-64 Mk 1 fleet to
AH-64E Apache Guardian standard had been given by the
Defense Security Cooperation Agency in August 2015.
[188]
The aircraft will utilise the General Electric T700 engine rather than the Turbomeca RTM322 from the current fleet; the first off-the-shelf purchase of a GE engine by the Ministry of Defence.[189]
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