Two Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNAF) Apache helicopters have returned to Woensdrecht Air Base (EHWO), upgraded to AH-64E variants with new radar systems, sensors, increased engine power, and modern composite rotor blades.
The aircraft were returned to Dutch soil by a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, Boeing said Thursday.
The overhaul, completed by Boeing in Mesa, Arizona, is part of a 2019 RNAF contract with the company to remanufacture 28 of the service’s AH-64 D-model Apaches to the more advanced AH-64E v6.
“This is an important milestone for the [RNAF] and the Boeing team,” said Steve Hazen, director of international attack programs at Boeing. “The E-model Apache will bring advanced attack and reconnaissance capabilities and improve combat power to the Netherlands and its warfighters.”
RNAF said it expects to receive back another 18 Apache AH-64Es by mid-2025. Six of RNAF’s remanufactured AH-64Es are based at Fort Cavazos, Texas, near Killeen for pilot training.
Last month, General Onno Eichelsheim, Netherlands chief of defense, visited the Apache training squadron in Texas, where he flew the “Echo” model.
“Nearly [30] years after my training on the Apache AH-64A, I flew the Apache Difference Course for the new AH-64E. Flying has barely changed, but the combat power of the ‘Echo’ has been greatly enhanced,” Eichelsheim said at the time on X (formerly Twitter). “This makes this machine ready for modern conflict.”
According to the military, the overhaul was necessary to “future-proof” its fleet of combat helicopters that it began operating in 1997 for nearly another three decades.
“After 20 years of intensive use, with interim maintenance and upgrades, a major modernization was necessary. This must ensure that the Apache remains operationally relevant in the coming decades,” the Dutch Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
Following the delivery to Woensdrecht, the aircraft will undergo a process of system implementations and checks before being issued an airworthiness certificate. The aircraft will then undergo flight tests before they are assigned to the Defense Helicopter Command at Gilze-Rijen Air Base (EHGR).
Gisteren kwamen de eerste twee gemoderniseerde Apache Echo’s aan in Nederland, op vliegbasis Woensdrecht. Kijk mee hoe de gevechtshelikopters uit de C-17 werden geladen. Lees het artikel 👉 https://t.co/rNeATGPaLQ #ApacheEchoNL #AH64eNL pic.twitter.com/NendLDbtU7
— DHC Luchtmacht (@dhcluchtmacht) December 8, 2023
