The Apache is a twin-engined attack helicopter developed by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing). It entered service with the US Army in 1984, and has been exported to Egypt, Greece, Israel, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. The US Army has more than 800 Apaches in service with a further 1,000 exported to other nations. The Apache was first used in combat in 1989 by the US military in Panama. It was also employed in the Gulf War and has supported low intensity and peacekeeping operations worldwide including Turkey, Bosnia and Kosovo.

The AH-64D Apache Longbow is equipped with a glass cockpit and advanced sensors, the most noticeable of which being the AN/APG-78 Longbow millimeter-wave fire-control radar (FCR) target acquisition system and the Radar Frequency Interferometer (RFI), housed in a dome located above the main rotor. The radome's raised position enables target detection while the helicopter is behind obstacles (e.g. terrain, trees or buildings). The AN/APG-78 is capable of simultaneously tracking up to 128 targets and engaging up to 16 at once, an attack can be initiated within 30 seconds. A radio modem integrated with the sensor suite allows data to be shared with ground units and other Apaches; allowing them to fire on targets detected by a single helicopter.

The aircraft is powered by a pair of uprated T700-GE-701C engines. The forward fuselage was expanded to accommodate new systems to improve survivability, navigation, and 'tactical internet' communications capabilities. In February 2003, the first Block II Apache was delivered to the U.S. Army, featuring digital communications upgrades. The Japanese Apache AH-64DJP variant is based on the AH-64D; it can be equipped with the AIM-92 Stinger air-to-air missiles for self-defense

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a US Army AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter that was attached to the 8th Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment "Flying Tigers", then deployed to Fort Knox, KY, during 2005. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 8-3/4-inches
Rotor Span: 7-1/4-inches

Release Date: August 2018

Historical Account: "Ride of the Valkyrie" - The unit was constituted on September 16th, 1989, in the Army Reserve as the 8th Battalion, 229th Aviation and activated on September 17th, 1989, at Fort Knox, Kentucky. It was ordered into active military service on June 6th, 2004, at Fort Knox, Kentucky, released on December 18th, 2005, and reverted to reserve status. It was redesignated on October 1st, 2005, as the 8th Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment, and on October 7th, 2010, it was ordered into active military service again at Fort Knox, Kentucky. It has since reverted to reserve status. 8-229th was officially designated by the American Volunteer Group (AVG) to carry the "Flying Tigers" name. As part of the U.S. Army Reserves restructuring of its aviation assets the unit was redesignated as an assault helicopter battalion flying the UH-60 Blackhawk and ending its mission as an attack helicopter battalion in the fall of 2014.