Apache Helicopters upgrade

Block 3 Upgrade Offers Networked Apache 16 July, 2008: FARNBOROUGH, England - Boeing is in talks with the U.S. government over low-rate initial production of a Block 3 upgrade to the AH-64D Apache attack helicopter, intended to deliver networking capabilities and a more powerful aircraft, a company executive said. "We are working on preparation for low-rate initial production," Al Winn, vice president of Apache programs, told journalists at the Farnborough Airshow. Winn declined to give financial details of upgrading the U.S. Army's 634-strong Apache fleet to the Block 3 standard but said it would probably cost a little less than bringing the Apache A model to the more advanced D version. "It is within the Army budget numbers," he said. Some of the changes of the Block 3 include a more powerful T700 engine, new power transmission and a complete change of avionics architecture to allow the aircraft to collect data from different networks, and analyze, fuse and transmit to other networks. Boeing is about halfway through the system design and development of the Block 3 upgrade, and so far the program is on cost and on schedule. The development contract was signed in July 2006 and was worth about $600 million. Part of the upgrade's aim was to allow the Apache to operate in hot temperatures and high altitudes, similar to the performance available to Apaches flown by the British Army, which are equipped with the RTM322 engine. Those British helicopters are deployed in Afghanistan.