Apaches to have best battle-proven platform for all combat circumstances

NEW DELHI: The Apache attack helicopters that the Army looks set to procure shortly will have the latest defence technology. US-based aerospace giant Boeing said that the choppers will have a battle-proven platform which can be used in all combat circumstances.

Boeing also said that efforts are being made for manufacturing the fuselages for the six Apaches in India. Boeing India President Pratyush Kumar said “this is the most advanced, lethal and feared battle-proven platform in the world.

Nothing comes close to it. This is not a toy, but the real deal. It can be used in all kinds of combat situations,” in reply to a question on the capabilities of the Apaches, as the Army plans to use them in high altitude areas.


Army sources said that the Apaches will be best suited for supporting mechanised operations involving tanks and infantry combat vehicles in the plains. “In Afghanistan, they were used at 14,000 feet. When the Apaches come to us, they will have to be tested at greater altitudes we are looking at.

But for the plains, they are the best technology available that is being used in support of mechanised forces,” said an official. Kumar said that the fuselages of the six Apaches for the Army, which is the main component of the helicopter, will be made as part of a joint venture between Boeing and Tata Advanced Systems in Hyderabad.

The joint venture was established last year to co-produce AH-64 Apache helicopter fuselages and other aero-structures. The Hyderabad facility will eventually be the sole producer of AH-64 fuselages globally.