AH-64 Apache

The AH-64 Apache is the primary attack helicopter of the US Army, manufactured by Boeing since 1984. Designed for close air support and anti-armour operations, it carries a 30mm M230 chain gun, Hellfire missiles, and Hydra 70 rockets. With over 2,400 delivered to the US military and Allied Nations, it is the western standard for rotary-wing attack and has seen combat across Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

In the Iran conflict, Apaches deployed alongside A-10 Warthog aircraft for low-altitude maritime operations around the Strait of Hormuz, hunting IRGC fast-attack craft and intercepting drones. CENTCOM reported over 9,000 targets struck and 140 vessels destroyed across 25 days. On 9 June 2026, a US Army Apache went down near the Strait of Hormuz; both crew members were rescued and the cause remained unconfirmed, with a CENTCOM report expected the following day. No party claimed the loss and hostile fire was not established, though the incident occurred in airspace where the IRGC had fired a seven-missile salvo at US Gulf bases just days prior.

Outside the Iran theatre, the Apache is central to the UK's Project NYX loyal-wingman programme. In May 2026, the UK Ministry of Defence selected four companies, Anduril Industries (UK), BAE Systems, Tekever, and Thales UK, for an assessment phase funded at GBP 10 million, aimed at developing autonomous drone loyal wingmen for Apache helicopters, with down-select to two companies in autumn 2026 and an operational variant targeted for 2030. The Apache's role as the human-crewed anchor for an autonomous wingman pair makes it the test platform for the Royal Navy's "crewed where necessary, uncrewed wherever possible" doctrine.