DE&S accepts final AH-64E Apache helicopter for British Army

The 50th AH-64E Apache has been secured for the British Army, completing the new fleet of the world’s most advanced attack helicopter.

Members of DE&S, Boeing and the British Army in front of the 50th AH-64E Apache attack helicopter. MOD Crown Copyright.

The final Apache was handed over to DE&S at Boeing’s manufacturing facility in Arizona, USA. The UK’s operational fleet is now fully established at the army’s Wattisham Flying Station in Suffolk, while the training fleet is complete at the Army Aviation Centre in Middle Wallop, Hampshire. 

As well as providing a superior capability for operations, the Apache programme supports the UK Government’s growth agenda by supporting more than 300 jobs at Boeing Defence UK. The global market for Apache also benefits 75 UK companies, including 33 small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs). 

Mark Langrill, DE&S Director Rotary Wing and Uncrewed Air Systems, was in the US to accept the final helicopter along with members of DE&S’ Apache Delivery Team and the British Army. 

Mark also paid tribute to the Boeing workforce, both in the US and the UK, for their support and commitment to the capability over the last 24 years since the platform first entered service with the British Army, serving in all major conflicts including Iraq, Libya and synonymously in Afghanistan. 

We are incredibly proud to accept such a cutting-edge capability, and to receive the final airframe of the British Army fleet. The Apache programme is being delivered by a team drawn from across DE&S, industry and our British Army colleagues, all of whom share a common goal to bring the most up-to-date version of this battle-winning aircraft into service while creating and supporting jobs and skills in the UK.