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Why INDIA needs the APACHE – AH64D LONGBOW?
Sunday, December 07, 2014 Article written by Debashish Dutta (Gurgaon) exclusively for Defence News.
Year: 1991
The biggest military coalition in the post World War II era was in place - ready and waiting for orders to strike the enemy. The strategy had been sealed and the precise moment to unleash an attack of gargantuan proportions was awaited.
And then it all started…….quietly!
In the early hours of the morning of January 17, 1991; a group of 6 rotorcraft machines resembling ugly giant insects took to the sky from a Saudi Arabian air base. The mission was to demolish 2 principal western Iraqi air defence installations with sophisticated radar systems employed to scan the skies for intruders. Over the desert and under the cover of darkness; the mean machines of the 101st Aviation Regiment of the US Army effortlessly descended to 100 feet above the ground level. They descended further to 50 feet once the target was about 8 km away. The Iraqis had no way to know that their radar systems were letting them down at a crucial juncture.
The desolate desert and its inhabitants trembled when a salvo of AGM – 114 Hellfire air – to – surface missiles announced the beginning of the biggest military game this side of the Second World War. Within 10 minutes; the Iraqi radar systems watching over their western skies had been demolished. The eye of the Desert Storm had made landfall. The Apache AH - 64A had served the breaking news to Saddam Hussein.
All this was then.
On August 27, 2012, Boeing reported that the US Army’s fleet of Apaches had clocked more than 3.5 million flight hours.
Today the Apaches are watching 2014 slide into history and 2014 marked another year when the Apaches stood tall and tougher than ever before. 40 years ago nobody would have imagined a rotorcraft machine as menacing and as lethal as the Apache.
What is happening now?
India has finally taken notice of the long and outstanding career of the Apache and is working with the government of the United States of America to bring some home – both for the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force.
The version in question is the Apache AH – 64D Longbow. Boeing says the 64Ds are the newest and most advanced Apaches featuring composite main rotor blades, a composite stabilator, 701D engines with enhanced digital electronic control units, and an improved drive system that enhances the rotorcraft's performance. The 701D engines are made by GE and generate 1,994 SHP* (1,487 kW). The fire-control radar equipped machine is called the AH-64D Apache Longbow. Remove the fire control radar and what you have is the equally illustrious AH-64D Apache.
Do we need the Apaches?
Let us see the countries that operate the Apaches currently other than the US - Egypt, Greece, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, The Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Republic of Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. What is the common thread here? Size wise none of these nations are even half as big as India.
The nation where the Apache originated from, however, is significantly bigger than India in terms of land mass. Therefore, the size of the country is not really a factor in the Apache evaluation process. What’s more…the United States has peace written all over its long international boundary lines. India’s case is diametrically opposite.
The Apaches have proven themselves in the desert environments encountered during Operation Desert Storm and in the high mountains of Afghanistan with more than 800,000 hours clocked in Iraq and Afghanistan. The terrains negotiated by the Apaches in Iraq and Afghanistan are similar to those negotiated by the Indian security forces. For instance, the Apaches can be very effective in hunting down terrorists using the high mountain routes for infiltrating into India. Their high tolerance for small weapons fire including RPGs is the justification. Imagine the effectiveness of the Apaches during a misadventure like Kargil! These events provide solid assurance of the wide variety of mission capability that the Apaches display – from full on war to tactical missions.
India’s hostile borders with Pakistan, China and Bangladesh represent, perhaps, the most unique mix of terrain bordering any other set of nations antagonistic to each other. Patrolling such tough, inhospitable terrain is a daunting task. Fighting a battle is even tougher. The menacing Apache with its effective day and night fighting capabilities and proven all terrain mastery present themselves as worthy fighting machines for the Indian military. With Northrop Grumman’s millimeter-wave Longbow fire control radar, Lockheed-Martin made Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight, MTADS (also called the Arrowhead) and the Pilot Night Vision Sensor, PNVS; the Apaches have supreme ability to scan the battle field or a problematic scenario leading to highly effective elimination of enemy assets and personnel.
Onboard the turret; the MTADS provides direct-view optics, television and three-fields-of-view FLIR – Forward Looking Infrared for conducting search, detection and recognition as well as the Litton laser rangefinder / designator. PNVS features a FLIR in a rotating turret located on the nose and positioned above the TADS. The output image from the PNVS is displayed in the monocular eyepiece of the Honeywell integrated helmet and display sighting system, IHADSS, worn by the pilot and copilot / gunner.
The Apaches go faster, higher and lower than competition and in tandem with onboard gadgetry; they have earned the reputation of being the supreme CQC (Close Quarter Combat) weapons platform. From India’s threat assessment perspective and corresponding mitigation; the Apaches represent a great solution. They are like what Glocks and MP5s are for Special Forces dealing with CQB (Close Quarter Battle) scenarios.
Along with top notch targeting capabilities; the Apaches have been armed to unleash hell on the battle field. A 30mm automatic Boeing M230 chain gun is located under the fuselage. The gun follows the pilot’s line of sight exactly thereby facilitating rapid acquisition and elimination of targets. It fires 625 rounds a minute with 1,200 rounds available to play with. Each round is as devastating as a grenade. The Lockheed Martin / Boeing AGM-114D Longbow Hellfire air-to-surface missiles on board the Apache have millimeter wave seeker radars that enable them to perform in full fire and forget mode. It specializes in smashing enemy tanks, bunkers and other targets on the battlefield with pin point accuracy and over distances of 8km to 15 km. For advancing troops; the Apaches are guardian angels. For specific missions; the Apaches can be equipped with air-to-air missiles (Stinger, AIM-9 Sidewinder, Mistral) and the advanced precision kill weapon system (APKWS), formerly known as Hydra, family of guided and unguided 70mm rockets.
The addition of the Apache AH-64D Longbow to the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force will undoubtedly worry India’s traditional enemies. The brand new Mountain Strike Corp of the Indian Army raised specifically to counter China is arming itself with the Longbow. Similarly, the Indian Air Force is looking at replacing its old chopper inventory with the Apaches and will actually get their lot before the Indian Army. The focus is clearly on cutting edge technology, lean-mean-fast machines with devastating fire power – the sort of combo which makes India’s enemies lose sleep. The Apaches will also expose Indian pilots bred on Russian machines to a whole new world of technology and expertise. This exposure to the best from both the worlds augurs well for India’s military aviation and platform experts. At a later date these experts will lend their expertise to the rapidly growing domestic defence industry.
For the scenarios described so far and for many more; India won’t find a better weapons platform for precision “Seek and Destroy” missions than the Apache – AH64D Longbow. Our security forces deserve the best when they embark on missions to protect our beloved nation. The Longbows have our votes for they are undoubtedly the nemesis of terrorists and terror sponsors. Go for them India!
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