- Realistic collectible model
- Diecast & plastic parts
- Highly detailed, movable components.
- Display stand included.
- Measures 9.25” L x 7.25” rotor diameter
- Display model, recommended for adult hobbyists and collectors. 14 years and above.
The Boeing AH-64 Apache is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. It features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night vision systems. It is armed with a 30 mm (1.18 in) M230 chain gun carried between the main landing gear, under the aircraft's forward fuselage, and four hardpoints mounted on stub-wing pylons for carrying armament and stores, typically a mixture of AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 rocket pods. The AH-64 has a large amount of systems redundancy to improve combat survivability.
The Apache originally started as the Model 77 developed by Hughes Helicopters for the United States Army's Advanced Attack Helicopter program to replace the AH-1 Cobra. The prototype YAH-64 was first flown on 30 September 1975. The U.S. Army selected the YAH-64 over the Bell YAH-63 in 1976, and later approved full production in 1982. After purchasing Hughes Helicopters in 1984, McDonnell Douglas continued AH-64 production and development. The helicopter was introduced to U.S. Army service in April 1986. The first production AH-64D Apache Longbow, an upgraded Apache variant, was delivered to the Army in March 1997. Production has been continued by Boeing Defense, Space & Security, with over 2,000 AH-64s being produced by 2013.
The U.S. Army is the primary operator of the AH-64; it has also become the primary attack helicopter of multiple nations, including Greece, Japan, Israel, the Netherlands, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates; as well as being produced under license in the United Kingdom as the AgustaWestland Apache. American AH-64s have served in conflicts in Panama, the Persian Gulf, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Israel used the Apache in its military conflicts in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip; British and Dutch Apaches have seen deployments in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The AH-64D Apache Longbow is equipped with a glass cockpit and advanced sensors, the most noticeable of which being the AN/APG-78 Longbow millimeter-wave fire-control radar (FCR) target acquisition system and the Radar Frequency Interferometer (RFI), housed in a dome located above the main rotor. The radome's raised position enables target detection while the helicopter is behind obstacles (e.g. terrain, trees or buildings). The AN/APG-78 is capable of simultaneously tracking up to 128 targets and engaging up to 16 at once; an attack can be initiated within 30 seconds. A radio modem integrated with the sensor suite allows data to be shared with ground units and other Apaches, allowing them to fire on targets detected by a single helicopter.
This highly detailed Hobby Master model represents an AH-64D from the 8th Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment “Flying Tigers” of the US Army. The unit was constituted on 16 September 1989 in the Army Reserve as the 8th Battalion, 229th Aviation and activated on 17 September 1989 at Fort Knox, Kentucky. It was ordered into active military service on 6 June 2004 at Fort Knox, Kentucky, released on 28 December 2005 and reverted to reserve status. It was redesignated on 1 October 2005 as the 8th Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment, and on 7 October 2010 it was ordered into active military service again at Fort Knox, Kentucky. It has since reverted to reserve status. 8-229th was officially designated by the American Volunteer Group (AVG) to carry the "Flying Tigers" name. As part of the U.S. Army Reserves restructuring of its aviation assets the unit was redesignated as an assault helicopter battalion flying the UH-60 Blackhawk and ending its mission as an attack helicopter battalion in the fall of 2014.
As with most Hobby Master models It ,features engraved panel lines, antennas, surface details an opening canopy, a well-appointed cockpit (with instrumentation details), full weapons complement, optional-position landing gear, authentic squadron markings, and a display stand.
Great care should be taken when handling this model. This is a great addition to your diecast aircraft collection.
