It is now the AH-64E

I doughnut understand the joke...

No joke. Instead of going the Air Force route (F-16 Block 7000 or whatever they are up to), it was decided to designate the AH-64 Block III as a 'E' model instead.

They already canned the 64C designation. Were any ACTUALLY built or in service, or did they go to all Ds by the time they flew?







The Jedi Master

I believe that at one time the plan was to designate Long Bow Apaches WITHOUT the fire control radar installed to be designated as C models, with the radar equipped aircraft to be designated as D models. The problem was that with radar domes going on or off aircraft due to maintenance, it would have been a real nightmare for property book officers and maintenance officers. So they just went with D for the original Long Bows.

Wow, man, bad move bro, bad move just kidding. You gave me a heart attack. I thought that the Longbow Block 3 had gone the way of the Comanche, that its pretty little neck had been sliced in two with the scythe of the Grim Reaper ( some call it the budget ). Nope, just the E now. Actually a good thing, it will distinguish it from the D. Any source, I can't seem to find anything.

Should find more on the designation coming out in the near future.

IIRC the D's would all be wired for the radar, but there would be fewer of them than D's, so the ones with radar would be called "Longbow" and the ones without just "Apache." In the event I think they decided to go ahead and wire them all for the radar, I guess to avoid the scenario of having no D's ready for a mission but C's and working radars in evidence.

BTW...the latest F-16, the Block 60, was officially redesignated from F-16C/D Blk 60 to F-16E/F. The semi-official useage of it for the XL program (that lost to the F-15E in the 80s) was set aside.



The Jedi Master