AH Mk.1 Apache
Contents
Description
The AH Mk.1 Apache is a rank VII British attack helicopter with a battle rating of 10.7 (AB/SB) and 12.0 (RB). It was introduced in Update 1.97 "Viking Fury".
General info
Flight performance
The AH Mk. 1, provides great manoeuvrability, incredible acceleration and overall providing a great speed of up to 325 km/h in arcade and 300 km/h in realistic and simulator game modes. An AH Mk.1 is able to do manoeuvres other helicopters can only dream about, from barrel roles, flips to loops which allow it to evade enemy missiles with ease.
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 1,000 m) |
Max altitude (metres) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | ||
| Stock | 275 | 257 | 5400 |
| Upgraded | 325 | 300 | |
Survivability and armour
The AH Mk.1, has only limited armour protection installed with bullet proof glass only being installed on the pilot windscreen. The helicopter uses Kevlar boron carbide, composite martial which is limited only to instrument, floor and side panels around the cockpit. It does not provide the same level of protection as seen on other helicopters such as the Mi-28N.
- Bullet proof glass installed only for the pilot - 22 mm thick.
- Installation of Kevlar boron carbide, composite martial only on the: Seats, cockpit side panels, Gunner floor panels and pilot instrument panel - 20 mm thick.
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Offensive armament
The AH Mk.1 Apache is armed with:
- A choice between two presets:
- 1 x 30 mm M230E-1 cannon (1,200 rpg)
- 1 x 30 mm M230E-1 cannon (1,200 rpg) + 4 x Starstreak missiles
Suspended armament
The AH Mk.1 Apache can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- 76 x CRV7 M247 rockets
- 8 x AGM-114K Hellfire II missiles
- 4 x AGM-114K Hellfire II missiles + 38 x CRV7 M247 rockets
- 8 x AGM-114K Hellfire II missiles + 38 x CRV7 M247 rockets
- 16 x AGM-114K Hellfire II missiles
Defensive systems
The AH Mk.1 Apache only has the following Defensive systems installed:
- Flares - Up to 192 flares can be installed.
- MAW - Missile Approach Warning system.
- AMASE - Apache Modular Aircraft Survivability Equipment.
- ATASK - Air-To-Air Starstreak missiles and Infrared Counter Measures.
When unlocked, flares are not installed - this requires MAW (tier II) module to be researched and installed, this provides up to 72 Flares. The next module called AMASE (tier III) provides up to 192 Flares, the additional 120 Flares are installed on the wingtips of the helicopter. Then the last module called ATASK (tier IV) allows for the installation of a maximum of four Starstreak missiles, with two mounted on each wing tip, 30 Flares & an IRCM module.
Usage in battles
Overview:
The AH Mk.1 is functionally identical to the American AH-64D Apache, besides its use of the Starstreak missile system which replaces the AIM-92 Stinger. The Apache is an excellent helicopter for attacking ground targets, and can also hold its own against many enemy aircraft. The AH Mk.1 in particular has superior air-to-air and air-to-ground capability due to the Starstreak. Through adequate use of cover, teamwork, and game sense, the Apache can easily dismantle enemy teams. An Apache pilot must understand all of the tools at their disposal.
The Apache has an arsenal of weapons. The most effective anti-tank weapon in the Apache's arsenal is the AGM-114 Hellfire, which uses a top attack trajectory to destroy ground vehicles. There is functionally very little difference between the AGM-114B and K variants, used on early and late Apaches respectively.
Staying Alive:
Flying the Apache effectively can be more difficult than most players would imagine, processing information from optical sights, radar displays, and the radar warning receiver all at once can lead to information overload. If distracted by irrelevant information, a pilot can quickly lose situational awareness. Being successful in the Apache requires situational awareness above all else. Due to the fragility of the helicopter, any blindspot can lead to a quick and sudden death. Additionally, the mobility of the Apache is adequate but not impressive, so evasive manoeuvres are not always effective.
Using cover is a very important part of staying alive in the Apache. Always stay behind a hill or building in ground battles. When exposing yourself in order to fire on the enemy, be mindful to not gain too much altitude. Most importantly, Always listen to your RWR and MAW. If you hear an alarm, take evasive action immediately.
The biggest improvement of the later Apache variants is the ability to mount the Longbow radar system. This system, if used properly, will help maintain situational awareness.
Additionally, it is important to know when to use flares. Flares are extremely effective against heat-seeking missiles, but useless against any other missiles. It is the responsibility of the Apache pilot to recognize the threat and decide whether to use flares or not. For Apaches with MAW (missile alert warning), there is an option for flares to be dispensed automatically.
Using the Longbow Radar:
The radar of the Apache should be used as a secondary tool when engaging ground targets. As of update 1.99.1.45, the radar is not effective in obtaining target lock for ground vehicles. The AGM-114L radar guided Hellfire is not in the game, so guidance of Hellfires should be done by using the FLIR thermal imaging camera to lase targets. However, the radar is still useful in detecting enemy aircraft. By using the multi-function menu to switch radar mode, the radar will begin to search for air rather than ground targets. Keeping track of enemy aircraft is vital to survival in the Apache, as any plane can make quick work of the Apache if the helicopter is unprepared.
Air-to-Air (Starstreak and Gun):
The Apache is surprisingly potent in air-to-air combat. Engagements should be conducted primarily through the use of the Starstreak missile. The Starstreak is an incredibly fast missile (the fastest in the game by far) and has a range of around 7 km. The Starstreak's greatest weakness is the lack of a proximity fuse, requiring a direct hit to kill. To guide the Starstreak, simply acquire lock on the target and guide it similarly to a SACLOS ATGM. It can be difficult to hit planes, but it will easily dispatch helicopters.
If the enemy gets close, the 30 mm autocannon can be extremely effective. The gun will automatically aim with optical lock, so Apache pilots can aim accurately while taking evasive manoeuvres.
Close Range Air-to-Ground (Gun and Rockets):
At close range, the Apache has excellent offensive capability. The 30 mm autocannon is incredibly accurate even at surprisingly far distances. This cannon uses a High Explosive Dual Purpose round that can engage lightly armoured targets. Rocket pods can also be used, with the CCIP computer helping maintain accuracy even at further distances. Be careful when trying to use the Hellfire missile at close range. It can do a direct attack at closer ranges (rather than its usual top attack) but if fired at an odd angle, it may not have time to manoeuvre onto the target if fired at closer ranges.
The problem with trying to engage at close range is that doing so will put the Apache in huge amounts of danger. Enemy tanks will be able to quickly destroy the Apache with their main guns or anti-aircraft machine guns.
Long Range Air-to-Ground (Hellfire and Starstreak):
At longer ranges, the Hellfire missile can be used to full effect. The Hellfire will guide on its target as shown in the attached diagram. This is known as top attack. Being that it takes this path to the enemy target, the Hellfire can take upward of 30 seconds to reach its target at longer ranges. Do not fire at enemies that are about to move to cover, and make sure to fire multiple missiles at once in order to deal maximum damage. Because the Hellfire is laser guided, multiple missiles can be fired at once. They should be fired at intervals of 5-10 seconds, where between missiles the Apache can switch to a new ground target. This will allow for the quick destruction of multiple enemies. This tactic can be incredibly effective. Although the time to target for the most recently fired Hellfire is available on the HUD, pilots will have to keep track of all the missiles they have fired by memory and quick calculations.
On the AH Mk.1, the Starstreak missile can also be used in the air-to-ground role. It is most effective when used against enemy anti-aircraft vehicles. The enemy anti-aircraft vehicles will generally be lightly armoured, so the Starstreak should be able to penetrate their armour. Most impressively, the Starstreak missile is faster than any other Surface-to-Air missile in the game, so it is very effective at surprising enemy anti-aircraft vehicles. The use of the radar warning receiver is important for finding enemy anti-air vehicles.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Excellent ground attack armaments like the unique Hellfire missile and accurate 30 mm cannon, as well as the Starstreak missile against light targets.
- Excellent anti-helicopter ability with the Starstreak, can compete with Ka-50 and Ka-52.
- Adequate speed and manoeuvrability.
- Advanced countermeasure system with Radar Warning Receiver and Missile Alert Warning.
- Good overall durability with two pilots.
- Longbow radar.
Cons:
- Easily destroyed by Ka-50 and Ka-52, and enemy airplanes.
- Hellfire missiles have a long time to target.
History
Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the helicopter in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the helicopter;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- encyclopedia page on the helicopter;
- other literature.
| Westland Aircraft Limited | |
|---|---|
| Aircraft | |
| Fighters | Whirlwind Mk I · Whirlwind P.9 |
| Turboprop | Wyvern S4 |
| Helicopters* | |
| Attack | AH Mk.1 Apache** |
| Utility | Wessex HU Mk.5 · Scout AH.Mk.1 · Wasp HAS.Mk.1 · Lynx AH.Mk.1 · G-LYNX |
| *After World War II, Westland Aircraft focused on building helicopters and changed its name to Westland Helicopters. | |
| **Licensed AH-64D | |
| See Also | Boeing Aircraft |
| Britain helicopters | |
|---|---|
| Attack | AH Mk.1 Apache · Rooivalk Mk1F CSH · Superhind |
| Utility | Wessex HU Mk.5 · Scout AH.Mk.1 · Wasp HAS.Mk.1 · Lynx AH.Mk.1 · G-LYNX |
