Photo Album - AH-64 A Apache ~ 1/72 ~ US Army

In the 1970s, in the middle of the Cold War, in order to compensate for the numerical superiority of the Warsaw Pact armored forces stationed in Eastern Europe, the American Army developed the specifications for an advanced attack helicopter, which after more than a decade of development , materialized as AH-64 Apache.

The main requirement was the ability to fight both day and night and in all weather conditions. Designed to withstand hard blows, its crew and transmission are protected by a shield made of material composed of boron, kevlar and steel. The rotor blades, which are mounted asymmetrically generate much less noise, can withstand repeated impacts from 23 mm projectiles and the engine's exhaust system reduces the temperature of the gases, decreasing their thermal signature. It is equipped with the TADS (Target Adquisition and Designation System), a combined system of infrared and low light intensity TV cameras, which used in conjunction with the pilot's night vision, allows the helicopter to fly and fight in the dark.

Its armament comprises Hellfire and Stinger missiles, 70 mm rockets and the powerful and precise 30 mm M 230 Chain Gun, with a rate of 750 rounds/minute, capable of easily piercing a light armor. This can be controlled by the pilot through the IHADSS, a viewfinder that projects an image directly on the pupil, allowing the gun to be pointed at. Despite its high cost of acquisition and maintenance, the AH-64 Apache proved in the Gulf War, in Kosovo and recently in Afghanistan, to be the most lethal anti-tank system currently in service.