A high-speed version of the Apache attack helicopter got some attention last week when Boeing unveiled footage at the Vertical Flight Society’s 75th Annual Forum & Technology Display.

As reported by Defence Blog, one of the people who took notice was Graham Warwick with Aviation Week, who posted these pics to Twitter that show the concept and scale models of the Advanced AH-64 Block 2 Compound:

Some aviation enthusiasts and media, such as War is Boring, have pointed out that the concept looks similar to a Lockheed Martin helicopter that first flew in 1967, the Cheyenne.

The Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne helicopter gunship featured a four-blade rigid main rotor, a four-blade anti-torque tail rotor, and a three-bladed pusher propeller. Powered by a 3,925 hp General Electric T64 engine, the Cheyenne had a top speed of 253 mph at sea level. The AH-56 featured fixed wings, a tandem-seated pilot and co-pilot/gunner, and could carry 2,100 pounds of ordnance, usually listed as 2,010 rounds of 30mm ammunition, 780 rounds of 40mm ammunition, two FFAR pods holding thirty-eight rockets each, and six BGM-71 TOW antitank missiles. A total of ten AH-56s were built before the contract was cancelled in 1972. Many of the technologies pioneered by the Cheyenne made their way on to other platforms, including the US Army's current AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. (Lockheed Martin)

As the Lockheed Martin photo notes, many of the technologies in the Cheyenne eventually made their way to the Apache.

With the high-speed Apache gunship, Defence Blog quotes Boeing as wanting to keep the AH-64 Apache “on the highly complex multi-domain battlefield of the future through 2060.”

About Stephen Weigand

Stephen Weigand is digital content editor at Sightline Media Group.

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