British Army’s new Apaches come online as the force confronts new challenges

The British Army will achieve Full Operational Capability with its fleet of 50 Apache AH-64E V6 attack helicopters by January 2026 after last year’s declaration of Initial Operational Capability (IOC) and the retirement of the last of its old Apaches at the end of March. The claim was made when details of the programme where share at Defence iQ’s International Military Helicopter conference in London on 28 February.

Thirty-eight of the AH-64Es, remanufactured using common parts from the army’s AH-64 MkI fleet, have found themselves in the UK, with the remaining 12 helicopters due before the end of the year.

Older aircraft have been deployed with 656 Squadron in Norway but will return next month (March 2024) before their retirement. 662 Squadron were cleared for operations in land environments in very basic conditions as part of the IOC and transfer to readiness will come at the end of March. 663 Squadron have also completed training and 664 and 656 Squadrons will have completed training by the end of 2025.

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Systems need to carry out certification separate to that of other operators such as Israel and the US. Between now and the end of 2025 there will be a number of envelope expansion activities, as well as icing clearance and defensive aid suite trials.

Of the 17 Apache MkI not converted three were out of service, two are being used for engineering training in the UK with another two going for the same purpose in Australia, one may go to a museum, one will be used for groundhandling and other training, and eight will be bound for the UK’s School of Aeronautical Engineering.

The force has continued going through a phased ramp up in capability which has included the AGM-114R IIHellfire Romeo missile launch, due by September, but platforms could be stood up for emergency operations if required.

The UK is writing a spiral development mandate which is expected to contain a requirement for a long-range precision missile which is similar to other the requirements of other Apache operators. Currently Rafael’s Spike missile it a federated bolt-on fit rather than integrated into aircraft software and work has got underway with a spiral development mandate being written to push for integration at the next software drop.

The new British Army Apache AH-64E helicopters have been manufactured to the US Army V6 standard. (Photo: British Army)

The boost to British Army capability came as other speakers at the conference highlighted ongoing changes in the service, which have included the stand-up of joint aviation command set for 1 April, all while undergoing a similar change to large-scale combat as opposed to decades of counter-insurgency.

Key to this, according to speakers from UK and other countries at the conference, was making sure the right lessons were learned from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing conflict beyond the simple flash and bang being seen publicly through social media and the internet.

The bringing together of crewed, uncrewed and autonomous system to deliver impact and capability has also been highlighted by speakers with the new UK command hoping to drive this integration forward.

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