How old is the apache helicopter

Army and a growing number of international defense forces. The Block II version incorporated advanced avionics, digital enhancements and communications upgrades. Block III brought superior flight performance and increased networked communications capabilities.

However, his design did not work, and French inventor Etienne Oehmichen — was more successful. He built and flew a helicopter one kilometer in Another early helicopter that flew for a decent distance was the German Focke-Wulf Fw 61, invented by an unknown designer. The Russian-American aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky — is considered to be the "father" of helicopters, not because he was the first to invent it, but because he invented the first successful helicopter upon which further designs were based.

One of aviation's greatest designers, Sikorsky began work on helicopters as early as By , Sikorsky's successful VS had become the model for all modern single-rotor helicopters. He also designed and built the first military helicopter, the XR-4, which he delivered to the U.

Army in Sikorsky's helicopters had the control capabilities to fly safely forwards and backward, up and down and sideways. In , Sikorsky's rotorcraft company made the world's first helicopter that had a boat hull. It could land and take off from the water; and floated on water as well.

In , U. They allowed the helicopter to fly at speeds much faster than before. In addition to carrying an array of offensive equipment, the Apache helicopter also has some useful defensive equipment, including very sophisticated sensor systems on the Apache Longbow, the latest iteration of the design as of The helicopter can also be utilized in electronic warfare, and it works in an array of conditions, including bad weather and nighttime flying.

Like other military aircraft, the Apache helicopter is constantly being refined to address specific issues which arise in the field. Periodically, upgrades to existing helicopters are released, and the design is occasionally overhauled to produce an entirely new model. Customers can also request specific modifications from Boeing, for an extra fee, of course.

To date, more than AHE model Apaches have been delivered worldwide. The AHE features:. Combat Proven. Battle Tested. MDO Ready — Today. High Performance. Cognitive Decision Aiding System CDAS Allows the aircraft to examine potential threats, its destination and suggested routing to accomplish the mission safely and on time. Fully Integrated Link Interoperability Provides real-time enemy activity information to and from other friendly platforms and sensors.

Modernized Day Sensor Assembly M-DSA Allows pilots to see near-infrared high resolution imagery and full color video on cockpit displays to more quickly and accurately identify targets at extended ranges. AH Apache Customers.