The McDonnell Douglas AH-64 Apache is an American attack helicopter. Development began in 1972, and production of the first 'A' variant started by 1982. As well as being used by the United States, the helicopter was also exported to other countries. In 1995, Sweden held an AttackHelikopterSystem competition for its army. The AH-64A Apache was one of the participants. Other competitors included the American AH-1W Super Cobra, the Italian A-129 Mangusta, the French Eurocopter Tiger, the South African CSH-2 Rooivalk, and the Soviet/Russian Mi-28A and Ka-50 "Black Shark". Ultimately, the Apache was deemed too complex to operate and no winner was selected. The HKP9A helicopters remained in service with the Swedish Army Aviation until 2009-2010.

The AHS was introduced in Update 2.15 "Wind of Change". Unlike the American variant, the Swedish Apache lacks APKWS II guided rockets, but is otherwise identical. Its twin powerful engines enable the helicopter to reach high speeds in horizontal flight and perform agile manoeuvres. It is equipped with a 30 mm autocannon and can carry Hellfire air-to-ground missiles and Stinger air-to-air missiles, enabling it to engage various threats. The helicopter features an HMD, which enables the pilot to guide and launch missiles simply by looking at the target. However, its main drawbacks are the relatively slow speed of the Hellfire missiles and the low accuracy of the 30 mm autocannon.