The rotorcraft was flown through a series of sideward and rearward flights, climbs and descents, auto-rotation, airspeed and vibration flight checks. The pilots also performed a basic hover controllability check. The upgraded Seahawk s new glass cockpit by Rockwell Collins reportedly performed well during the two-hour demonstration flight. Israel is awaiting formal U.S. Army approval for the purchase of eight new Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters and a remanufactured Apache demonstrator. Contract price and delivery dates were not disclosed at press time.
Israeli Apaches are some of the most widely deployed and utilized helicopters in the world.
Partly for that reason, Boeing anticipates an additional contract award from Israel in the near future for an undisclosed number of AH-64Ds. The demonstrator Apache will be used to evaluate a specialized Israeli electronics package that will be applied to all nine aircraft. As with the Apaches, these helicopters will be used by the Israeli Air Force. Black Hawk deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2002. The upgrade involved the installation of new communications and navigation equipment to enhance mission capability and tremendously decrease pilot workload.