UK to begin AH-64E transition in Q4

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to begin flight operations of its newly acquired Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters in the coming weeks, ahead of aircrew transition before the end of the year.

An MoD spokesperson told Janes on 6 July that, with 10 remanufactured helicopters now delivered back to the British Army's Wattisham Flying Station from Boeing's production facility in the US, flight operations that were originally scheduled to begin in July will now do so “later in the summer”. These will pave the way for crews on the Leonardo Boeing WAH-64D Apache Longbow AH1 to convert to the new type.

“Flights are planned for test and evaluation purposes later this summer. The first AH-64E flights will enable the transition of existing Apache aircrew from Q4 2021,” the spokesperson said.

The British Army received the first of 50 Apache Longbow AH1 attack helicopters to be remanufactured into the latest Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian standard in November 2020. Interestingly, while the WAH-64D is designated AH1 in UK service, the MoD told Janes that the AH-64E will be known by that designation only and not as the AH2.

Initial flights of the AH-64E will be focused on trials activity and then on developing instructional techniques to safely manage aircrew transition from the WAH-64D to AH-64E. The focus will then change to the full-rate conversion training of 3 Regiment Army Air Corps (3AAC). From 2022 the AH1 will be incrementally replaced by the AH-64E in British Army service.