When I was in Ft Gordon during AIT, they held an airshow and landed an Apache for it. They asked if anyone had any questions. When I raised my hand the pilot looked at me AND SO DID ALL OF HIS GUNS. No further questions, your honor.
Apparently when both my parents were still doing manufacturing when they met they were both working on assembly on part of that little radar hat together. I may owe my existence to this helicopter.
I remember being in the field at Ft. Campbell and seeing one of these things fly by our positions doing NAP of the earth. The gunner was turning his head to watch us and seeing that chaingun swivel and keep pointed at us was more than a little terrifying.
It's even better when they hover near your position and dump all of their hatred downrange. Fun Fact: Apache and Warthog crews are the only non-infantry personnel to be awarded the title of honorary grunt.
When I was a kid, they brought one to the rec center near my cousins house after an easter egg hunt. (on Easter, obv.) After they let it spin down, they strapped the rotors up, and I am sure did something to make sure it wouldn't actually DO anything...but I don't know what that was, I was like 10. Then they let all the kids hop in, throw the helmet on, and move the gun around while making pewpewpew noises. 🤣 Good times.
I was out shopping one day and a wild AH-64 appeared. Just hovering over some warehouses. I waved at it and saw the chin gun point at me.... one of the more surreal experiences in my life. Knew they saw me at any rate.
We did a Field Trip in elementary school to the local airport. An Apache happened to come in for fuel (and who knows why else) and us 3rd graders were all giddy. The teacher made a point of letting us stand on just the other side of the chain-link when they went to take off. The pilot turned to face us and we learned that the gun follows the helmet that day! No spinning, nothing crazy like that, but watching that thing point where he looked was FREAKING COOL! That and hearing most of the girls (and some of the guys) squeal and run hahaha.... but then again, back then, when there were Blackhawks or the likes at the airshows, kids would regularly be crawling all over them. A lot changed after a certain September.
The rotors on the newer models are really quiet. Which makes it even scarier, when you hear a helicopter so start looking for it only to realise it is very close and the gunner is looking at you. Disconcerting to say the least when your a selfproppelled artillery FDC section and you thought you had parked your aluminium box with 4 antennas in a good spot and covered yourself up pretty good. I'm just glad it is on our side.
There's another feature of that radar on the Apache that now isn't all that special, many aircraft can use it. But back when it first came out it was new enough to be impressive. It could send target information to other aircraft in the area. So one Apache could hover behind a cliff with just the radar peeking over while another Apache, getting the target info would peek over just long enough to peek over and fire its ordinance and duck back into cover and move positions. All with practically no danger to either aircraft. That idea always got me excited as a kid, being able to completely fuck over enemy forces with them being unable to touch you? Now thats badass.
It's less badass if they have the equipment they'd need, to detect and kill airborne radar systems. But in the context of this video, that seems to be something that isn't available to whoever's being attacked.
@julianbrelsford Not alot of countries have the technology or money to implement those types of defense sites on a large scale if at all. The problem with using a device like that to counter American equipment is that they have other assets they can spread across a wide front that can counter EW forces when they pop up. So sure, you raspberry jam an AH-64's radar but now every other aircraft in the area knows where you are and they are on their way. And they aren't bringing birthday gifts. Thats the problem with fighting Americans in a conventional war, they have contingencies for their contingencies.
My first Army roommate when I enlisted ended up going OCS and became an Apache pilot. He described it "not all that super exciting" but he still doesn't quite understand just HOW jealous of him I really am. :D
The fact the gun swivels to face where the pilot looks is absolutely terrifying. I remember gun safety, you don't point a gun where you don't intend to shoot. Now imagine a big gun that points where you look and you have a reticle in your vision, anything you look at is painted as a potential target. This is giving me Shadowrun vibes. Don't get me wrong, it is really cool, and I'm certain there are systems in place to make sure you don't fire when you don't intend to, I'm just glad it's on our side.
That's why there are always arming procedures. There is literally no way to not flag stuff when a gun is attached to an aircraft, eventually you gotta come home and the nose will have to be pointed at friendly facilities.
That radar replaced an entire helicopter. Cobra's needed eyes. That was made possible by the OH-1. Out in the NTC it was beautiful to watch the spotter pop up over a ridge then the Cobra take on the op4. The observers had to "kill" a few teams to make the fight fair. Our ground forces were crushed but they got their butts handed to them from 2 chopper teams.
Abbotsford, 94, Apache crew was stuck on static display all weekend. After the last day of the airshow, we're stuck in the typical after airshow traffic jam, Apache takes off, charges RIGHT at the line of traffic at about 100' AGL, pulls up, LOOPS IT BETWEEN 100 and maybe 500', pulls level again at 100', goes down the airport fence doing a torque spin, and turns for home. THAT was how I learned that helicopters can do loops too! I literally forgot every other part of that airshow (even years at Abbotsford aren't that special, and nothing will ever touch the 89 airshow), but the Apache will stick in my head until the day I die.
I was in college when the war on terror officially started. Walking around campus, I got flown over by an Apache. I literally did not know it was there until it popped out above the building I was walking past. Since then, I’ve been forever grateful it’s on our team
So fun fact, a few years back there was a My Little Pony convention that I went to and there was a bunch of psychologists there doing a panel. Apparently they were wondering about the adult fans of My Little Pony. Now they had sent out a bunch of questionnaires and beside from standard male and female from "what you identify as?" they also left a blank in case somebody wanted to fill in their own special answer. A bigger than 0 number of people answered that they identified as an Apache attack helicopter.
My dad flies these; I remember once when I was a kid, the Army was having some kind of family day and I got to go to the airfield and go inside his Apache. I got to play with the gun (unloaded, obviously) and saw out of the turret camera. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen.
I was stationed at Hickam and had taken with my 3 yo son on the Missouri for a tour a couple years back when a group of four Apache's flew in, 30 feet off the deck, and landed across from us at Joint Base Pearl. Close enough that my son waved and one of the pilots waved back. So Damn Cool
my dad worked on some of the systems for these in the early 2000's, he also did some time working on the hellfire before that, and before that he helped designed the turret system for the bradley fighting vehicles, a few months after he died i was at an all helicopter airshow talking to an apache pilot, he wished he could thank our dad because it was 3 of his favorite things in one, he loved using old bradleys for target practice with the hellfires from his apache...
God bless those two chiefs. That is the perfect example of badassery only second to Audie Murphy kissing death in the face by calling point-blank artillery in Under Panzer IV fire
A small point of contention: The Army was the only branch of the US Military to use the single engine Cobras in any sizable numbers for any length of time. The Marines liked their Cobras but pretty quickly requested a twin engine Supercobra variant and got the first ones in like 1969. The Supercobras were the result of a very deliberate decision by the USMC to go with parts commonality vs. maximum capability. Today, the AH-1W Supercobra (and new AH-1Z Viper) and the UH-1Y Venom utility helicopter have more than 80% parts commonality. Even going back to the earlier Supercobras and Twin Hueys, the parts commonality was a critical factor. When you're based on a ship, it helps to only have to stock 1 kind of part. The Army has to maintain distinct logistics for its Blackhawks and Apaches since they are two different machines. They have the same engines, but little else. Coincidentally, the Venom, the Viper, the Blackhawk and the Apache all use the same GE T700 engine. And when you look at the current AH-1Z Venom and the Apache Longbows, you see they are pretty evenly matched in their weapons capabilities. The Apache is a bigger machine though and it's more of a heavy attack chopper than the Venom, which is more medium sized. But either way, if you see a Supercobra or an Apache pop up over a hill and puffs of smoke appear, you had better hope to hell they're not looking at you. There have been interviews with pilots from both the USMC and the US Army and they have a deep mutual respect for each others machines. These are not things with which to fuck around, because the Find Out part usually comes in the form of a Hellfire missile, or lots of rapidly delivered 20mm or 30mm hatred.
i once walked in the McDonnell Douglas Mesa, Arizona plant where they build these things. we got a tour of the manufacturing floor and a fuselage was currently being built there, no engines and main rotors. i was amazed at how huge the thing was in real life.
These can take a serious amount of punishment as well. When in Afghanistan, they would come back with RPG hits to the rocket pods and even had a sensor on the nose cone of a hellfire missile dangling off held on by some wires. One took a direct hit to the pilot and co-pilot/gunner sighting systems on the front of the aircraft which crippled the systems, but it made it back to the flight line to be repaired. Pilots would be out of ammo but stay on station to get shot at instead of ground troops until a fully loaded relief would arrive. It was crazy what they were capable of.
Can we get a mention of the latest version? The Longbow system has been around for nearly 3 decades. The Army has used the same variant for almost 30 years now and hadn't done enough upgrades to give it a new designation till very recently, and that wasn't by necessity, that was by request. New displays, updated sensor array, increased battlefield awareness, and much more. This thing can do some really crazy maneuvers as well. And now we don't fully know it's capabilities again. It's far deadlier than the version that the Iraqi Royal Guard surrendered to 2 decades ago, and I think that one was an AH-64D without the Longbow system. They surrendered to a single helicopter that I think technically couldn't engage them unless it was engaged first. They had to call in ground troops to take the combatants prisoner. Almost like they recalled what happened 12 years before that and wanted no part or that 30mm chain gun and hellfire missiles.
2:43 there was a similar case with some Augusta-Westland Apaches (the Royal Army and Navy version) where we sent a few to recover a man who we thought was alive, with one putting down and carrying him out while one of the escorts fired its entire weapons load at the Taliban on the ground, he was sadly either already dead or died shortly after
The full list of AH-64 operators, at least according to Wikipedia, is as follows: Egypt (46x AH-64Ds) Greece (28x AH-64As and AH-64Ds, dunno how many of each) India (22x AH-64Es for the Air Force with six on order for the Army) Indonesia (8x AH-64Es) Israel (48x AH-64As and AH-64Ds, again, dunno how many of each) Japan (12x AH-64Ds, slated for retirement) Kuwait (24x AH-64Ds) Morocco (none, but 36x AH-64Es are on order) Netherlands (28x AH-64Ds) Qatar (24x AH-64Es) Saudi Arabia (47x AH-64As, AH-64Ds, and AH-64Es for the Land Forces-yes, they're one of those countries that likes to feel like a special little butterfly by calling the Army "Land Forces"-and 12x AH-64Es for the National Guard) Singapore (19x AH-64Ds) South Korea (36x AH-64Es) Taiwan (29x AH-64Es) UAE (28x AH-64Ds and AH-64Es) UK (67x AgustaWestland Apaches, one of which is actually what is pictured when discussing the AH-64D from 1:07 to 1:32, albeit the AgustaWestland Apache is just a license production variant of the AH-64D, so I guess it depends on whether you wanna count it as different or not) And of course, the US, with currently operated 819 AH-64Ds and AH-64Es
When I was in the Army I was with the 16th CAB out of JBLM. My unit, 2-158th AHB, was Blackhawks. When we'd go to the field though we'd get an AH64D company to come with us. I got to spend a lot of time with those pilots and got to interact with the aircraft's radios (I was in the S6 of my unit). One time I didn't remember that there is a fluid overflow drain right next to the panel on the tail where the radios are and when they turned in the APU so I could have power to the radios, I got sprayed with fluid. Never will forget that day in the field lol
I love how you take the same neutral perspective as task and purpose does and you don’t involve any of the BS going on, I can enjoy your videos cause it doesn’t drag in needless drama
dude imagine being in a firefight. You get hit and go down. Your buddies call for a medevac but you just get static, as your assigned Apache loiters doing what it can, just for it to, after 30 minutes, say "fuck it, we'll do it ourselves" and extract your as. that's a story for the ages right there
2:44 The funniest thing about the Hind is that, at full combat load, it can't takeoff vertically. It has to use a runway. Literally the entire point of a helicopter is vertical takeoff, and the Hind...can't do it.
@@dat581 its explosive rounds. If it can shoot explosive rounds its a cannon. There are things call punt guns that shoot two inch slugs of lead but not cannons.
More fun: when engaging targets with the Lonbgow Radar and a radar-guided variant of the Hellfire, the Apache does not need to unmask to shoot. The missile flies a popup profile to clear terrain. The apache only needs to get the radar mast high enough to resolve the targets and it can shoot. Also, one radar-equipped Apache Longbow can provide datalink fire control data to multiple non-radar equipped Longbows (yes, both the D-model of the Apache and its fire control radar are called "Longbow", not at all confusing). That radar weighs a few hundred lbs, and is not very aerodynamic, and is godawful expensive. So the normal method of employment is one Radar equipped aircraft will lead a flight of however many are going to operate together against the same target (I don't know what the technical limit of aircraft which can talk on the datalink is) and hand out targets to the rest. So, uh, worst case scenario? "My mast is up, he doesn't see me, 128 hellfires see him"
These helo pilots are effing *crazy*! Way back in the day we saw them doing "nape of the earth" seemingly at top speed, just missing tree tops by centimetres. They'd hover, pop up then dart off. Reminded me of dragonflies in a garden.
The thing the impressed me about this helicopter was seeing it in I assume Iraq, in a video of a convoy, one of them flying low along side it, like maybe 2meters of the ground low, and watching it rotate 90 degrees to face the convoy, which was hauling along the road at maybe 60-70kmh. The thing didn't miss a beat, it was like it was just floating beside the convoy, going from flying forwards to sideward. Maybe Im easily impressed and all helicopters can do this, but the agility of watching it drop down beside the convoy, pull of some manoeuvres that made it look like it was floating I thought was awesome.
“Narrator : Now if there's one thing you can be sure of, it's that nothing is more powerful than a young boy's wish. Except an Apache helicopter. An Apache helicopter has machine guns AND missiles. It is an unbelievably impressive complement of weaponry, an absolute death machine.” -Ted (2012)
Recently Poland confirmed an order of about 80 AH64's, that D model (latest) I think we'll be hearing a lot more from those. If I'm not mistaken, during Dessert Storm, it was AH64's that opened combat, so to speak, by flying in at night and decimated early radars (basically the whole base where those radars are stationed) to make way for the fighter air wings
Imagine you're on the ground with malicious intent and this thing rolls up and the gun point at you and then just slowly turn left to right while the pilot shakes his head as if to say, _"You'll be sorry!!"_
I still like to wonder what would have happened if the AH-56 cheyenne was actually produced rather than being sidelined and making way for the AH-64 Apache. A lot of the weapons system the early Apache's used were tested on the Cheyenne first. and the Cheyenne was faster as well being a pusher rotary aircraft back in the 60's with only a single engine. The aircraft was killed by military bureaucrats as the air force was getting pissy that the army was getting ahold of an aircraft that could go up to 250mph and felt it was crossing roles between branches.
I remember when the royal marines used a apache to go pick up a fallen soldier, strapped themselves to the apache flew in under gun fire and got him. Make me proud of our forces
Fun fact about the MEDEVAC rescue they did, after loading the wounded soldier into the Gunner’s chair Chief Crist tethered himself to the chopper and rode the evac flight sitting on the fucking wing of the Apache like an absolute unit
I remember being told that if the copper is crashed, you can do a couple of things and get a shoulder launched hellfire capacity, personally ive never liked the apache, but im ok with being a minority to a tested system, i got more interest in the comanche, but understand that the guys on the ground feel alot better when they have something in the air that isnt fragile with the job of supporting them, especially tanks.
The modern cobras are twin engine. They're based off the twin-engine Huey's. The original cobras were single engine and based off the single-engine Huey. I'm not sure that anyone flown those for decades, the twin-engine cobras are still going strong....don't believe me? Ask your local crayon eater!!!! OORAH!! While you're talking with them, donate to the Toys for Tots....
The AH-64D can do about 290 *kilometers* per hour. That's ~182 mph, or 158 knots. The airspeed record held by a pure helicopter (i.e. no pusher propeller on the tail providing thrust, etc.) is 248 mph, held by the Westland Lynx.
And no single rotor heli is likely to get much faster because with one rotor, the blades on one side will be moving back toward the body of the heli and so away from the oncoming air- and so not make enough lift.
@unclejoeoakland that's called retreating blade stall. When this happens, the nose of the helicopter will pitch up wildly thus slowing the helicopter. The reason the nose rises and not roll over is due to gyroscopic precession. All control inputs happen 90 degrees before they take effect.
@@Struthio_Camelusno, they will not break the sound barrier. The rpm of the Apache main rotor is only just above 200 and it has a 48 foot rotor span. The max speed of the apache is 158 kias(182 mph) rotor diameter times pi times the rpm times 60 equals miles per hour of the rotor at full power with zero pitch. As collective pitch is added, the blades actually slow down a little bit. As the advancing blade speeds up, the retreating blade gets closer to stall and you end up with the same situation that I described in my previous post. By the way, I held the position of apache crew chief while i was in the army. 8th btn/229th avn regt at ft. Knox ky.
The Cobra has not had a single engine in decades. It's a dual engine pack. Also AH-64s had dismal performance in shield and storm. The Cobra has all of these abilities now with a major improvement in performance.
If the guy in the back hopped out and put the wounded soldier in with him, how did they fly?? The guy in the back is the pilot. The Gunner upfront may be able to take the soldier into his lap....but not the pilot.
The Apache is awesome! I get to watch the NC ANG out doing their thing almost daily (first ANG unit equipped with the Apache, even before some Active duty units got it) Oh, and the Iraqi troops in the 1st PG called them the "yes I am surrendering to a F-ing helicopter" at least after enough of their friends called it the "what the Fu.. Boom!
Retired 15D, the newest versions can operate drones and they have tested flying another 64 at the same time. That is double scary. Being attacked by an Apache that doesn't even have a pilot in it, being remote controlled by another Apache. The only thing more scary than the armament is the fact that one bolt on the rotor head cost 300$ a piece and you can't reuse it.😮😂
When Gannon Stauch disappeared, AH-64s taking part in exercises on Fort Carson at the time would fly much further out from the perimeter of the base than they usually did, and at lower speeds and altitudes. You could see the sensor suite on the nose panning around as they did so. I saw two of them at one point hover over a spot for a minute or two before moving on. The aircrews were using their equipment and the time they had in the air not actively engaged in the training to make use of their equipment to try to find that boy. It is unfortunate that no amount of effort by people of such enormous heart could undo the evil deeds of that woman who had no heart at all.
@2:35 - Reminds me to make a shout out to SPC Lashmut, who shot down a (simulated) Hind D with a (simulated) TOW missile from 3200 m at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, in 1990 (I think it was 1990 - could have been `89). Turns out you don't have to take a lot of punishment if you loiter above a ridge being watched by an attentive gunner, either.
2:18 "How freaking hard are they to fly?" Well.... not being a heli jockey, I WAS in the Royal Danish Navy though and one thing I was trained in, was shutting down a Westland Lynx in case of an emergency/fire and the pilot told us that if You could - simultaneously - jump in one place while You rub Your stomack counterclock wise with Your left hand AND tap the top of Your head with the right, then You had it in You to become a helicopterpilot. In other words.... You need to be a master in multitasking or You might as well forget about ever flying a chopper. Why, You might ask?? Because when flying a chopper, You control the airspeed and tilt of the rotor with Your left hand via the "collective lever", control the movement of the chopper with the "the cyclic stick" with Your right hand and the tail via the "anti-torc pedals" which You control with Your feet.
Apache guy here we have a rule that if the pilot swings the gun accidentally at one of the guys on the pad he owes us beer if we’re in garrison or pizza if we’re downrange not because of them having an ND but because that thing is 3,000 PSI and swings around with enough force to caving in you knees like a Chicago mob boss
You mentioned the AH-1 Cobra. You should do a video on how the AH-1 Cobra continued to exist and became the Super Cobra and eventually the AH-1Z Viper because Congress won't let the Marines have the Apache.
If I remember correctly, the radar doesn't just track targets, it can identify them and then prioritize if it recognizes it as a weapon. Basically scans around then asks the pilot "prwetty please, can I shoot?"
I'm reminded of yhe arma games where the guys flying apaches are the only ones who have to deal with beaurocracy while playing the game because if they were allowed to use their more-or-less accurate to publicly available data apaches on every objective, there'd be nothing for the grunts to do
Thanks to a certain terrible Nicholas Cage movie I was downright OBSESSED with this helicopter when I was in grade school. Started the downward spiral that now has me flying Medevac up North. Not quite how young me had it planned out but I'll take it 😅
I recall the British Royal Marines used Apaches as a transport helicopter once in Afghanistan, yes there is footage on TH-cam, and yes they were shooting from the 'wings' of the apache I believe
Rescue of a wounded comrade left behind during exfil from a mission that went sideways. Sadly, the wounded Royal Marine was dead when they got to his body or died on the way back, but his brothers in arms made sure he got home so he could buried (hopefully, with honours).
Much respect for leave no man behind, in stark contrast watching a Russian soldier smoking a cigarette pointing out his comrade for an fpv drone. If you can't trust the guy next to you, really screwed.
When I was in Ft Gordon during AIT, they held an airshow and landed an Apache for it. They asked if anyone had any questions. When I raised my hand the pilot looked at me AND SO DID ALL OF HIS GUNS. No further questions, your honor.
The Apache variant of the *"SILENCE, LIBERAL"* lmao
Seems like you'd raise the other hand.
Thats a full clench moment, not gonna lie
*in the moment he knew he fucked up*
The Apache : *death stare with 30mm chain gun*
Apparently when both my parents were still doing manufacturing when they met they were both working on assembly on part of that little radar hat together. I may owe my existence to this helicopter.
“War, huh! What is it good for!?
Made SovekOnivris’ parents meet!”
That's honestly pretty awesome
I remember being in the field at Ft. Campbell and seeing one of these things fly by our positions doing NAP of the earth. The gunner was turning his head to watch us and seeing that chaingun swivel and keep pointed at us was more than a little terrifying.
It's even better when they hover near your position and dump all of their hatred downrange.
Fun Fact: Apache and Warthog crews are the only non-infantry personnel to be awarded the title of honorary grunt.
@@StudleyDuderight A-10 for the win! Nothing as frighteningly erotic when they come to save your life.
If that were me, just a little bit of wee would come out.
I was doing a ROTC rotation in Ft Puke and saw a few playing hide and seek behind a treeline...
When I was a kid, they brought one to the rec center near my cousins house after an easter egg hunt. (on Easter, obv.)
After they let it spin down, they strapped the rotors up, and I am sure did something to make sure it wouldn't actually DO anything...but I don't know what that was, I was like 10.
Then they let all the kids hop in, throw the helmet on, and move the gun around while making pewpewpew noises. 🤣
Good times.
I was out shopping one day and a wild AH-64 appeared. Just hovering over some warehouses. I waved at it and saw the chin gun point at me.... one of the more surreal experiences in my life. Knew they saw me at any rate.
We did a Field Trip in elementary school to the local airport. An Apache happened to come in for fuel (and who knows why else) and us 3rd graders were all giddy. The teacher made a point of letting us stand on just the other side of the chain-link when they went to take off. The pilot turned to face us and we learned that the gun follows the helmet that day! No spinning, nothing crazy like that, but watching that thing point where he looked was FREAKING COOL! That and hearing most of the girls (and some of the guys) squeal and run hahaha.... but then again, back then, when there were Blackhawks or the likes at the airshows, kids would regularly be crawling all over them. A lot changed after a certain September.
The rotors on the newer models are really quiet. Which makes it even scarier, when you hear a helicopter so start looking for it only to realise it is very close and the gunner is looking at you. Disconcerting to say the least when your a selfproppelled artillery FDC section and you thought you had parked your aluminium box with 4 antennas in a good spot and covered yourself up pretty good. I'm just glad it is on our side.
If it’s close enough for you to hear then it’s probably not engaging you. Usually they take their shots from a mile or two out
There's another feature of that radar on the Apache that now isn't all that special, many aircraft can use it. But back when it first came out it was new enough to be impressive. It could send target information to other aircraft in the area. So one Apache could hover behind a cliff with just the radar peeking over while another Apache, getting the target info would peek over just long enough to peek over and fire its ordinance and duck back into cover and move positions. All with practically no danger to either aircraft. That idea always got me excited as a kid, being able to completely fuck over enemy forces with them being unable to touch you? Now thats badass.
It's less badass if they have the equipment they'd need, to detect and kill airborne radar systems.
But in the context of this video, that seems to be something that isn't available to whoever's being attacked.
@julianbrelsford Not alot of countries have the technology or money to implement those types of defense sites on a large scale if at all. The problem with using a device like that to counter American equipment is that they have other assets they can spread across a wide front that can counter EW forces when they pop up. So sure, you raspberry jam an AH-64's radar but now every other aircraft in the area knows where you are and they are on their way. And they aren't bringing birthday gifts. Thats the problem with fighting Americans in a conventional war, they have contingencies for their contingencies.
Even before the MWR, ground units could designate targets for Hellfires fired from Apaches.
"All the felony murder in San Quentin..."😆
And none of the misdemeanor murder
My first Army roommate when I enlisted ended up going OCS and became an Apache pilot. He described it "not all that super exciting" but he still doesn't quite understand just HOW jealous of him I really am. :D
AH-64 delivers the excitement; he's the truck driver on the up-range side of the excitement.
The fact the gun swivels to face where the pilot looks is absolutely terrifying. I remember gun safety, you don't point a gun where you don't intend to shoot. Now imagine a big gun that points where you look and you have a reticle in your vision, anything you look at is painted as a potential target. This is giving me Shadowrun vibes. Don't get me wrong, it is really cool, and I'm certain there are systems in place to make sure you don't fire when you don't intend to, I'm just glad it's on our side.
That's why there are always arming procedures. There is literally no way to not flag stuff when a gun is attached to an aircraft, eventually you gotta come home and the nose will have to be pointed at friendly facilities.
Yeah it kinda scared the crap out of my brother when he was on the flight line directing a Longbow to her spot lol
Look up the movie "Blue Thunder" if you are really into being creeped out.
That radar replaced an entire helicopter. Cobra's needed eyes. That was made possible by the OH-1. Out in the NTC it was beautiful to watch the spotter pop up over a ridge then the Cobra take on the op4. The observers had to "kill" a few teams to make the fight fair. Our ground forces were crushed but they got their butts handed to them from 2 chopper teams.
Regarding the "Hind", at Ft. Rucker Alabama in the 1980's multiple HINDS were used as aggressors to train the AH64 Pilots.
This is like Operation Mount Hope III, right? When the 160th SOAR just didn't give a fuck and stole a Hind through a massive sandstorm.
Abbotsford, 94, Apache crew was stuck on static display all weekend. After the last day of the airshow, we're stuck in the typical after airshow traffic jam, Apache takes off, charges RIGHT at the line of traffic at about 100' AGL, pulls up, LOOPS IT BETWEEN 100 and maybe 500', pulls level again at 100', goes down the airport fence doing a torque spin, and turns for home. THAT was how I learned that helicopters can do loops too!
I literally forgot every other part of that airshow (even years at Abbotsford aren't that special, and nothing will ever touch the 89 airshow), but the Apache will stick in my head until the day I die.
I was in college when the war on terror officially started. Walking around campus, I got flown over by an Apache. I literally did not know it was there until it popped out above the building I was walking past. Since then, I’ve been forever grateful it’s on our team
So fun fact, a few years back there was a My Little Pony convention that I went to and there was a bunch of psychologists there doing a panel. Apparently they were wondering about the adult fans of My Little Pony. Now they had sent out a bunch of questionnaires and beside from standard male and female from "what you identify as?" they also left a blank in case somebody wanted to fill in their own special answer. A bigger than 0 number of people answered that they identified as an Apache attack helicopter.
Thats beautiful
It was an old meme from 2015.
Bro if psychologists are coming to your fandom convention to study you weirdos it's time to rethink your life.
“Hi I actually identify as an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter pls respect my pronouns”
@@shadowknight1068 "my pronouns are 'boom' and 'zoom'
My dad flies these; I remember once when I was a kid, the Army was having some kind of family day and I got to go to the airfield and go inside his Apache. I got to play with the gun (unloaded, obviously) and saw out of the turret camera. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen.
I was stationed at Hickam and had taken with my 3 yo son on the Missouri for a tour a couple years back when a group of four Apache's flew in, 30 feet off the deck, and landed across from us at Joint Base Pearl.
Close enough that my son waved and one of the pilots waved back.
So
Damn
Cool
my dad worked on some of the systems for these in the early 2000's, he also did some time working on the hellfire before that, and before that he helped designed the turret system for the bradley fighting vehicles, a few months after he died i was at an all helicopter airshow talking to an apache pilot, he wished he could thank our dad because it was 3 of his favorite things in one, he loved using old bradleys for target practice with the hellfires from his apache...
God bless those two chiefs. That is the perfect example of badassery only second to Audie Murphy kissing death in the face by calling point-blank artillery in
Under Panzer IV fire
A small point of contention: The Army was the only branch of the US Military to use the single engine Cobras in any sizable numbers for any length of time. The Marines liked their Cobras but pretty quickly requested a twin engine Supercobra variant and got the first ones in like 1969.
The Supercobras were the result of a very deliberate decision by the USMC to go with parts commonality vs. maximum capability. Today, the AH-1W Supercobra (and new AH-1Z Viper) and the UH-1Y Venom utility helicopter have more than 80% parts commonality. Even going back to the earlier Supercobras and Twin Hueys, the parts commonality was a critical factor. When you're based on a ship, it helps to only have to stock 1 kind of part. The Army has to maintain distinct logistics for its Blackhawks and Apaches since they are two different machines. They have the same engines, but little else. Coincidentally, the Venom, the Viper, the Blackhawk and the Apache all use the same GE T700 engine.
And when you look at the current AH-1Z Venom and the Apache Longbows, you see they are pretty evenly matched in their weapons capabilities. The Apache is a bigger machine though and it's more of a heavy attack chopper than the Venom, which is more medium sized. But either way, if you see a Supercobra or an Apache pop up over a hill and puffs of smoke appear, you had better hope to hell they're not looking at you. There have been interviews with pilots from both the USMC and the US Army and they have a deep mutual respect for each others machines. These are not things with which to fuck around, because the Find Out part usually comes in the form of a Hellfire missile, or lots of rapidly delivered 20mm or 30mm hatred.
I love the scene in Fire Birds when he teaches the guy how to think like an Apache pilot, go in one direction and kill stuff in another. 😂
Props to those Apache evac guys- that is some real balls-out action there. America makes a lot of really wonderful...toys. ;)
i once walked in the McDonnell Douglas Mesa, Arizona plant where they build these things. we got a tour of the manufacturing floor and a fuselage was currently being built there, no engines and main rotors.
i was amazed at how huge the thing was in real life.
That last bit is the prime example of: ARGH fine, ill do it myself
I’m up, he see’s me, he’s screwed…. That was a absolutely hilarious 😂😂 takes me back
"Express Overnight Freedom never looked so good" Killed me 🤣🤣🤣🤣
These can take a serious amount of punishment as well. When in Afghanistan, they would come back with RPG hits to the rocket pods and even had a sensor on the nose cone of a hellfire missile dangling off held on by some wires. One took a direct hit to the pilot and co-pilot/gunner sighting systems on the front of the aircraft which crippled the systems, but it made it back to the flight line to be repaired. Pilots would be out of ammo but stay on station to get shot at instead of ground troops until a fully loaded relief would arrive. It was crazy what they were capable of.
"Taking shots so the more squishy forces don't" is the definition of a tank. We've got literal flying tanks. :o
Can we get a mention of the latest version? The Longbow system has been around for nearly 3 decades. The Army has used the same variant for almost 30 years now and hadn't done enough upgrades to give it a new designation till very recently, and that wasn't by necessity, that was by request. New displays, updated sensor array, increased battlefield awareness, and much more. This thing can do some really crazy maneuvers as well. And now we don't fully know it's capabilities again. It's far deadlier than the version that the Iraqi Royal Guard surrendered to 2 decades ago, and I think that one was an AH-64D without the Longbow system. They surrendered to a single helicopter that I think technically couldn't engage them unless it was engaged first. They had to call in ground troops to take the combatants prisoner. Almost like they recalled what happened 12 years before that and wanted no part or that 30mm chain gun and hellfire missiles.
2:43 there was a similar case with some Augusta-Westland Apaches (the Royal Army and Navy version) where we sent a few to recover a man who we thought was alive, with one putting down and carrying him out while one of the escorts fired its entire weapons load at the Taliban on the ground, he was sadly either already dead or died shortly after
I remember the movie Blue Thunder and then finding out that the Apache existed and thinking that you could aim with where you looked was awesome!
The full list of AH-64 operators, at least according to Wikipedia, is as follows:
Egypt (46x AH-64Ds)
Greece (28x AH-64As and AH-64Ds, dunno how many of each)
India (22x AH-64Es for the Air Force with six on order for the Army)
Indonesia (8x AH-64Es)
Israel (48x AH-64As and AH-64Ds, again, dunno how many of each)
Japan (12x AH-64Ds, slated for retirement)
Kuwait (24x AH-64Ds)
Morocco (none, but 36x AH-64Es are on order)
Netherlands (28x AH-64Ds)
Qatar (24x AH-64Es)
Saudi Arabia (47x AH-64As, AH-64Ds, and AH-64Es for the Land Forces-yes, they're one of those countries that likes to feel like a special little butterfly by calling the Army "Land Forces"-and 12x AH-64Es for the National Guard)
Singapore (19x AH-64Ds)
South Korea (36x AH-64Es)
Taiwan (29x AH-64Es)
UAE (28x AH-64Ds and AH-64Es)
UK (67x AgustaWestland Apaches, one of which is actually what is pictured when discussing the AH-64D from 1:07 to 1:32, albeit the AgustaWestland Apache is just a license production variant of the AH-64D, so I guess it depends on whether you wanna count it as different or not)
And of course, the US, with currently operated 819 AH-64Ds and AH-64Es
I think the AgustaWestland has different engines and weapon choices
@@warhistory1895 One, it has a different engine, two, it has a new electronic defense aid suite, and three, it can operate from carriers
Also the royal marines went on a rescue mission by strapping themselves on the sides
Unspeakably badass.
I came here to say the same thing lol
The apache is what you get when you turn the ac-130 into a helicopter
When I was in the Army I was with the 16th CAB out of JBLM. My unit, 2-158th AHB, was Blackhawks. When we'd go to the field though we'd get an AH64D company to come with us. I got to spend a lot of time with those pilots and got to interact with the aircraft's radios (I was in the S6 of my unit). One time I didn't remember that there is a fluid overflow drain right next to the panel on the tail where the radios are and when they turned in the APU so I could have power to the radios, I got sprayed with fluid. Never will forget that day in the field lol
I love how you take the same neutral perspective as task and purpose does and you don’t involve any of the BS going on, I can enjoy your videos cause it doesn’t drag in needless drama
That story at the end is heartwarming ... please tell more of those.
dude imagine being in a firefight. You get hit and go down. Your buddies call for a medevac but you just get static, as your assigned Apache loiters doing what it can, just for it to, after 30 minutes, say "fuck it, we'll do it ourselves" and extract your as. that's a story for the ages right there
"I'm up, he sees me, he's screwed" 🤣 that killed me
2:44 The funniest thing about the Hind is that, at full combat load, it can't takeoff vertically. It has to use a runway. Literally the entire point of a helicopter is vertical takeoff, and the Hind...can't do it.
I might be wrong, but 30mm and above is considered a cannon.
20mm and above. Plus explosive rounds.
@@dat581 its explosive rounds. If it can shoot explosive rounds its a cannon. There are things call punt guns that shoot two inch slugs of lead but not cannons.
@@unclejoeoakland 20mm and above using explosive rounds is the official definition.
@@unclejoeoakland Punt guns are usually loaded for waterfowl. ALL the waterfowl on any given body of water. (grapeshot for geese?)
In my opinion anything over .50 bmg (12.7mm) is a cannon
Latest Cobra the AH-1Z variant is absolutely a great twin engine beast. But yes yes the Apache longbow variant is king.
I am still absolutely digging your presentation skills and showmanship! Keep 'em coming!
that IHaSS system is likely a carryover from the AH-56 Cheyenne, which first flew in 1967
There’s something both ironic and deeply poetic about an Apache *saving* a life.
More fun: when engaging targets with the Lonbgow Radar and a radar-guided variant of the Hellfire, the Apache does not need to unmask to shoot. The missile flies a popup profile to clear terrain. The apache only needs to get the radar mast high enough to resolve the targets and it can shoot.
Also, one radar-equipped Apache Longbow can provide datalink fire control data to multiple non-radar equipped Longbows (yes, both the D-model of the Apache and its fire control radar are called "Longbow", not at all confusing). That radar weighs a few hundred lbs, and is not very aerodynamic, and is godawful expensive. So the normal method of employment is one Radar equipped aircraft will lead a flight of however many are going to operate together against the same target (I don't know what the technical limit of aircraft which can talk on the datalink is) and hand out targets to the rest.
So, uh, worst case scenario? "My mast is up, he doesn't see me, 128 hellfires see him"
These helo pilots are effing *crazy*! Way back in the day we saw them doing "nape of the earth" seemingly at top speed, just missing tree tops by centimetres. They'd hover, pop up then dart off. Reminded me of dragonflies in a garden.
The thing the impressed me about this helicopter was seeing it in I assume Iraq, in a video of a convoy, one of them flying low along side it, like maybe 2meters of the ground low, and watching it rotate 90 degrees to face the convoy, which was hauling along the road at maybe 60-70kmh. The thing didn't miss a beat, it was like it was just floating beside the convoy, going from flying forwards to sideward. Maybe Im easily impressed and all helicopters can do this, but the agility of watching it drop down beside the convoy, pull of some manoeuvres that made it look like it was floating I thought was awesome.
“Narrator : Now if there's one thing you can be sure of, it's that nothing is more powerful than a young boy's wish. Except an Apache helicopter. An Apache helicopter has machine guns AND missiles. It is an unbelievably impressive complement of weaponry, an absolute death machine.”
-Ted (2012)
What i miss most about my time serving, was being able to just watch the birds land and take off from the barracks next to the airfield. Air Cav!
"Ohhhh I fucked up, I fucked up..." 😂😂
WAIT. Are you telling me that Italy has an aircraft named ME GUSTA?
Pretty sure it's "Mangusta", since I've seem the same Italian word used for a model of DeTomaso sports car
Recently Poland confirmed an order of about 80 AH64's, that D model (latest)
I think we'll be hearing a lot more from those.
If I'm not mistaken, during Dessert Storm, it was AH64's that opened combat, so to speak, by flying in at night and decimated early radars (basically the whole base where those radars are stationed) to make way for the fighter air wings
Imagine you're on the ground with malicious intent and this thing rolls up and the gun point at you and then just slowly turn left to right while the pilot shakes his head as if to say,
_"You'll be sorry!!"_
I still like to wonder what would have happened if the AH-56 cheyenne was actually produced rather than being sidelined and making way for the AH-64 Apache. A lot of the weapons system the early Apache's used were tested on the Cheyenne first. and the Cheyenne was faster as well being a pusher rotary aircraft back in the 60's with only a single engine. The aircraft was killed by military bureaucrats as the air force was getting pissy that the army was getting ahold of an aircraft that could go up to 250mph and felt it was crossing roles between branches.
I remember when the royal marines used a apache to go pick up a fallen soldier, strapped themselves to the apache flew in under gun fire and got him. Make me proud of our forces
The AH-1Z has twin engines and 4 blades now too, fyi
Fun fact about the MEDEVAC rescue they did, after loading the wounded soldier into the Gunner’s chair Chief Crist tethered himself to the chopper and rode the evac flight sitting on the fucking wing of the Apache like an absolute unit
During Vietnam a cobra pilot did the same thing but the gunner strapped himself to the outside of the aircraft.
I remember being told that if the copper is crashed, you can do a couple of things and get a shoulder launched hellfire capacity, personally ive never liked the apache, but im ok with being a minority to a tested system, i got more interest in the comanche, but understand that the guys on the ground feel alot better when they have something in the air that isnt fragile with the job of supporting them, especially tanks.
"I'm up, he see's me, he's screwed."
The movie Firebirds did a good job promoting this beast.
The modern cobras are twin engine. They're based off the twin-engine Huey's. The original cobras were single engine and based off the single-engine Huey. I'm not sure that anyone flown those for decades, the twin-engine cobras are still going strong....don't believe me? Ask your local crayon eater!!!!
OORAH!! While you're talking with them, donate to the Toys for Tots....
The AH-64D can do about 290 *kilometers* per hour. That's ~182 mph, or 158 knots. The airspeed record held by a pure helicopter (i.e. no pusher propeller on the tail providing thrust, etc.) is 248 mph, held by the Westland Lynx.
And no single rotor heli is likely to get much faster because with one rotor, the blades on one side will be moving back toward the body of the heli and so away from the oncoming air- and so not make enough lift.
@@unclejoeoakland ...and the blades on the opposite side will be breaking the sound barrier.
@unclejoeoakland that's called retreating blade stall. When this happens, the nose of the helicopter will pitch up wildly thus slowing the helicopter. The reason the nose rises and not roll over is due to gyroscopic precession. All control inputs happen 90 degrees before they take effect.
@@Struthio_Camelusno, they will not break the sound barrier. The rpm of the Apache main rotor is only just above 200 and it has a 48 foot rotor span. The max speed of the apache is 158 kias(182 mph) rotor diameter times pi times the rpm times 60 equals miles per hour of the rotor at full power with zero pitch. As collective pitch is added, the blades actually slow down a little bit. As the advancing blade speeds up, the retreating blade gets closer to stall and you end up with the same situation that I described in my previous post. By the way, I held the position of apache crew chief while i was in the army. 8th btn/229th avn regt at ft. Knox ky.
@@wedgie502 Thank you for the education, and thank you for your service.
after watching a video of 2 AH64's engage a platoon of the Taliban you're just like holy fuck.
The Cobra has not had a single engine in decades. It's a dual engine pack.
Also AH-64s had dismal performance in shield and storm.
The Cobra has all of these abilities now with a major improvement in performance.
Don’t forget the feature of being able to look “through” the aircraft to see the terrain below you. That’s integrated in the monocle as well
My dad flew these for a while and did multiple deployments with them. The stories I’ve heard are WILD
If the guy in the back hopped out and put the wounded soldier in with him, how did they fly?? The guy in the back is the pilot. The Gunner upfront may be able to take the soldier into his lap....but not the pilot.
As far as the Hind goes............... STINGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Those big fat unmanuerable f'ers were our Stinger boys bread and butter.
Played an Apache simulator a long while back. These things are nuts. Also expensive. 12m a piece, at least at the time that game came out.
The Apache is awesome! I get to watch the NC ANG out doing their thing almost daily (first ANG unit equipped with the Apache, even before some Active duty units got it)
Oh, and the Iraqi troops in the 1st PG called them the "yes I am surrendering to a F-ing helicopter" at least after enough of their friends called it the "what the Fu.. Boom!
Retired 15D, the newest versions can operate drones and they have tested flying another 64 at the same time. That is double scary. Being attacked by an Apache that doesn't even have a pilot in it, being remote controlled by another Apache. The only thing more scary than the armament is the fact that one bolt on the rotor head cost 300$ a piece and you can't reuse it.😮😂
apache: spawns in, 3 targets die, then the pilot takes off.
Similar to the last thing that was mentioned 4 British Royal Marines strapped them selves to the wings of an Apache to evacuate a casualty in 2007
When Gannon Stauch disappeared, AH-64s taking part in exercises on Fort Carson at the time would fly much further out from the perimeter of the base than they usually did, and at lower speeds and altitudes. You could see the sensor suite on the nose panning around as they did so. I saw two of them at one point hover over a spot for a minute or two before moving on.
The aircrews were using their equipment and the time they had in the air not actively engaged in the training to make use of their equipment to try to find that boy. It is unfortunate that no amount of effort by people of such enormous heart could undo the evil deeds of that woman who had no heart at all.
@2:35 - Reminds me to make a shout out to SPC Lashmut, who shot down a (simulated) Hind D with a (simulated) TOW missile from 3200 m at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, in 1990 (I think it was 1990 - could have been `89). Turns out you don't have to take a lot of punishment if you loiter above a ridge being watched by an attentive gunner, either.
2:18 "How freaking hard are they to fly?" Well.... not being a heli jockey, I WAS in the Royal Danish Navy though and one thing I was trained in, was shutting down a Westland Lynx in case of an emergency/fire and the pilot told us that if You could - simultaneously - jump in one place while You rub Your stomack counterclock wise with Your left hand AND tap the top of Your head with the right, then You had it in You to become a helicopterpilot.
In other words.... You need to be a master in multitasking or You might as well forget about ever flying a chopper. Why, You might ask?? Because when flying a chopper, You control the airspeed and tilt of the rotor with Your left hand via the "collective lever", control the movement of the chopper with the "the cyclic stick" with Your right hand and the tail via the "anti-torc pedals" which You control with Your feet.
Can I use that “I’m he sees me, he’s screwed”? Being an infantry cat, Shit was GOLD
Apache guy here we have a rule that if the pilot swings the gun accidentally at one of the guys on the pad he owes us beer if we’re in garrison or pizza if we’re downrange not because of them having an ND but because that thing is 3,000 PSI and swings around with enough force to caving in you knees like a Chicago mob boss
Ally Units: WE NEED AIR SUPPORT!
Apache: Air Support is here!
Enemy Units: Awwww...shit...we fucked up.
You also forgot how the British had a Commando team riding on the outside of their Apache to rescue one of their own.
I have heard, from someone on the ground in Afghanistan. When the apache was around they knew they would not be attacked.
My childhood favorite and still the greatest. I don't car about what a fighter jet can do. Its like comparing a semi truck to a top fuel dragster.
You mentioned the AH-1 Cobra. You should do a video on how the AH-1 Cobra continued to exist and became the Super Cobra and eventually the AH-1Z Viper because Congress won't let the Marines have the Apache.
The UK also once strapped 4 royal marines to the stubby wings and done a casualty rescue
Four Royal Marine Commandos on outside of Two AWH-64 to save a escape Royal Marine Commando.
"Oh i fucked up..." lmfao!
India's also got a few and they're really good looking.
Commonly referred to by our enemies as “oh we F’d up.” Bwahahahaha
The AH-64 "Longbow Apache" actually has, I believe it was 2, Litter Transport positions on the outside of the fuselage, on the Winglets...
If I remember correctly, the radar doesn't just track targets, it can identify them and then prioritize if it recognizes it as a weapon. Basically scans around then asks the pilot "prwetty please, can I shoot?"
I'm reminded of yhe arma games where the guys flying apaches are the only ones who have to deal with beaurocracy while playing the game because if they were allowed to use their more-or-less accurate to publicly available data apaches on every objective, there'd be nothing for the grunts to do
Being airlifted by an attack helicopter. Now thats just another level of bragging rights.
love your content gets me every time
Oooh! You should do like you did with f-22, f-35, etc!
Thanks to a certain terrible Nicholas Cage movie I was downright OBSESSED with this helicopter when I was in grade school. Started the downward spiral that now has me flying Medevac up North.
Not quite how young me had it planned out but I'll take it 😅
To hell with Leopards, Chieftains, and F16s. If the US "loaned" Ukraine about 60 of these, I think it would be a bigger game changer.
Hind: Aerial Tanker. (I'll soak all the damage in order to kill you)
Apache: Aerial Scrapper. (Damage is 100% mitigated if you're dead)
And this is why our defense budget is 700 billion dollars worth every penny
I recall the British Royal Marines used Apaches as a transport helicopter once in Afghanistan, yes there is footage on TH-cam, and yes they were shooting from the 'wings' of the apache I believe
Rescue of a wounded comrade left behind during exfil from a mission that went sideways. Sadly, the wounded Royal Marine was dead when they got to his body or died on the way back, but his brothers in arms made sure he got home so he could buried (hopefully, with honours).
Much respect for leave no man behind, in stark contrast watching a Russian soldier smoking a cigarette pointing out his comrade for an fpv drone. If you can't trust the guy next to you, really screwed.