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 £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.