On 3rd September, 2019, the Indian Air Force inducted 8 Apache helicopters at the Pathankot airbase. The eight fresh US-made Apache AH-64E attack helicopters will give a major boost to the Air Force's combat powers.

Here are some critical details about its history and design you need to know.

The Boeing AH-64 Apache is an American twin-turbo shaft attack helicopter with a tail wheel-type landing gear arrangement and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two.

It is armed with a 30 mm (1.18 in) M230 chain gun carried between the main landing gear, under the aircraft's forward fuselage, and four hardpoints mounted on stub-wing pylons for carrying armament and stores, typically a mixture of AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 rocket pods.


The AH-64 has significant systems redundancy to improve combat survivability.

It has also become the primary attack helicopter of multiple nations, including Greece, Japan, Israel, the Netherlands, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates.

It has been built under license in the United Kingdom as the AgustaWestland Apache.

The AH-64 Apache has a four-blade main rotor and a four-blade tail rotor. The crew sits in tandem, with the pilot sitting behind and above the co-pilot/gunner. Both crew members are capable of flying the aircraft and performing methods of weapon engagements independently.

The AH-64 is powered by two General Electric T700 turbo shaft engines with high-mounted exhausts on either side of the fuselage. Various models of engines have been used on the Apache; those in British service use engines from Rolls-Royce. In 2004, General Electric Aviation began producing more powerful T700-GE-701D engines, rated at 2,000 shp (1,500 kW) for AH-64Ds.

The crew compartment has shielding between the cockpits, such that at least one crew member can survive hits. The compartment and the rotor blades are designed to sustain a hit from 23 mm (0.91 in) rounds. The airframe includes some 2,500 lb (1,100 kg) of protection and has a self-sealing fuel system to protect against ballistic projectiles.

The aircraft was designed to meet the crash worthiness requirements of MIL-STD-1290,[50] which specifies minimum requirement for crash impact energy attenuation to minimise crew injuries and fatalities. This was achieved through incorporation of increased structural strength, crash worthy landing gear, seats and fuel system.

In 2008, the Indian Air Force (IAF) released a tender for 22 attack helicopters; there were six contending submissions: Sikorsky's UH-60 Black Hawk, the AH-64D, Bell's AH-1 Super Cobra, Eurocopter's Tiger, Mil's Mi-28 and AgustaWestland's A129 Mangusta. In October 2008, Boeing and Bell withdrew. In 2009, the competition was restarted.

In December 2010, India requested the possible sale of 22 Apaches and associated equipment. On October 5, 2012, IAF Chief NAK Browne confirmed the Apache's selection.

The IAF sought control of the 22 proposed Apaches for air combat missions, while the Army Aviation Corps argued that they would be better used in army operations. In April 2013, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) decided that the IAF would receive the 22 AH-64s. India ordered the 22 AH-64Es in 2015 with deliveries to begin in 2019.

On 12 June 2018, the US Department of State approved a possible foreign military sale to India for an additional six AH-64E helicopters, armaments, and associated equipment in a deal worth an estimated $930 million. The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress for approval.

received its first AH-64E Apache Guardian in a ceremony at Boeing's Mesa, Arizona production facility. On July 27, 2019, India received its first four AH-64Es of 22 on order.

The Indian Air Force formally inducted eight of the helicopters on September 3, 2019 into the 125 Helicopter Squadron based at the Pathankot airbase.