The “Echo” model of the Apache is an upgrade from the “Delta” model with more power, and better lift.
JBLM will have twenty-four AH-64E Apache’s by late spring.
AH-64E Apache Helicopter from SldInfo.com on Vimeo.
Credit:5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment:2/21/13
According to Boeing, the new Apache will make better use of UAVs as part of a flying and attack formation. Manned/unmanned teaming with airborne Army combat platforms has been conceptualized, strategized and realized – though with some limitations.On today’s battlefield a manned attack helicopter can receive imagery from an unmanned aerial platform, but to heighten the value of these assets, manned/unmanned teaming must go farther and do more.The Apache Block III with Level 4 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) control will take manned/unmanned teaming to a whole new level and the UAV will indeed be a wingman for the pilots in command of the attack helicopter platform.
U.S. Army aviators flying the Apache Block III helicopter will deploy with an enhanced tactical advantage on the battlefield as they communicate with a UAV to receive and transmit real-time imagery and meta-data, control and monitor a UAV’s sensor and weapons payload, and direct and control the flight of a UAV. This teaming facilitates the pilots’ ability to obtain valuable information transmitted from the UAV to locate, identify and target the enemy and share that information with friendly ground and air forces.“The tactical capability and operational versatility of the Apache is dramatically enhanced by this network-centric capability,” said Mike Burke, Boeing director of Army Rotorcraft Business Development.
http://www.boeing.com/apachenews/2009/issue_01/army_s2_p2.html