Your order is complete: British Army takes delivery of final AH-64E Apache
The British Army has received the 50th and last brand-new Apache AH-64E attack helicopter.
The Army's final example of the most advanced combat helicopter in the world was handed over at the Boeing site in Arizona.
Colonel David Amlôt MBE, Assistant Head of the British Army's Combat Aviation Programme, said: "The AH-64E is a critical part of UK deterrence and forms an integral part of the British Army Offer to the Nato New Force Model and Forward Land Forces.
"Through this procurement, we will see an increased interoperability with our Nato and allied partners, with an expected 19 nations operating the Apache by the end of the decade, further strengthening our collective deterrence."
Three other AH-64Es were recently delivered to the British Army after being flown into Britain by the United States Air Force.
British soldiers from Wattisham Flying Station were pictured unloading them off a USAF C-5 Galaxy transport aircraft at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk.
The AH-64E will be in production until at least 2028 and will likely serve the US Army and its partner nations as the world's primary attack helicopter into the 2060s, according to Boeing.
The E variant of the helicopter, which can reach speeds of 186mph, is the next generation of the Apache AH-64.
The helicopter blends parts from the Mk1 Apache with a new fuselage and updated technology.
The previous variant – the Apache Mk1 – was used by the British Army over Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Before its introduction to the Army Air Corps' fleet, BFBS Forces News went to see how the brand-new helicopter handled when it was flown by personnel at the Army Aviation Centre in Middle Wallop in Hampshire.
Major Paul Whatnell, who flew the helicopter, said it was a "pretty incredible machine" with less limiting factors "to let us do our job".
Apache AH-64E
The helicopter was created to find and take out air defence units, tanks and armoured vehicles.
The aircraft, which has improved sights and sensors, can also fire a 30mm automatic cannon, wing-mounted 70mm Hydra rockets and Hellfire missiles.
It can carry up to 16 Hellfires, 76 Hydras and 1,200 rounds of cannon ammunition.
3 Army Air Corps' Apache helicopters tested the latest model of the aircraft in 2023.
The exercise tested the crew's ability to operate the new model effectively over challenging terrain.
Several components of the Apache are manufactured in the UK.
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