Folding Apaches

Yesterday I was thumbing through an aviation magazine (Air Forces Monthly I think) and saw a picture of an Apache Longbow variant with its rotors folded back over its tail, navy style.

Acording to the caption its a new variant thats supposed to ease loading and transport of Apaches on C-5s and reduce reconstruction times once they’re unloaded at their destination.

It may be premature to ask this, but has anyone heard of any companies proposing aftermarket kits for the folding rotor setup on the Apache? According to the article, only the first few of the new variant have come of the assembly line yet.

According to Combat Aircraft Monthly, the first 40 rotor-fold kits were sent to Iraq immediately upon delivery. I have the article at home in Texas, but those helicopters of the 1/227th were flying operational sorties in the middle east within 72 hours of receiving their deployment orders. Unbelieveable what the new rotor-fold kit affords the Apache as far as deployability.

i am sorry gents,
but folding blades do not exist in the world of apaches, they tried it once in the development but the army did not buy it than your maintanence people and test pilots getting the aircraft up.

cw3 bob roebuck
p.s. cobra if you need anything please let me know i have been very busy at work lots of flying.

Mr. Roebuck,

The blade-fold mechanism is brand new. The first 48 sets went to the 1/227th just before they deployed. You guys should be getting them pretty soon. I know the 1/229th is getting them and they’ve been installing them as they come in. Two of the Longbows I saw at Ft. Hood in July were having them installed in the maintenance hangar. Gimme a few days and I’ll email you the article in “Combat Aircraft Monthly”.

I’d imagine work’s been quite busy lately! Take care of yourself out there!

There’s an overhead photo of one folded up in this Month’s Issue of Air International.

Its near the bottom of page 11.

Upnorth,

Thanks! Gotta run out to B&N and pick up a copy!

please send me a pic, no one here in my squadron have ever heard or seen them and there is plenty of very old aviators here. will ask my boeing rep. who is stationed here with me.
thanks
bob roebuck

cobra historian did you recieve the pics???

Mr. Roebuck,

Nope, didn’t receive anything. Send them to Cobrahistorian@aol, that way they won’t get bounced back if they’re too large for my yahoo mailbox.

hey cobra,
you are right they are a folding blade design that has just come out in the last 5 months, will send you pics, you know more than me, are you the one that wants dmz blackhawk pics and ah-64d pics i am sorry but lost you e-mail please email me back, i have been flying and quit busy. sorry!!!
thanks
bob roebuck
roebuckkr123@aol.com

awesome job on all of the homework you know more than me!!!

by the way it was not to the 227 at GRK it was to 21st cav at hood army airfield.
bob roebuck

Mr. Roebuck,

No problem! My email address is Cobrahistorian@aol.com. Its easier to send pics there, as I’m not limited by file size. My regular email is Cobrahistorian@yahoo, but I’m limited to 4 megs on that mailbox.

Would LOVE photos from the DMZ! I’m actually headed out to Walgreens right now to pick up 2 of the 5 rolls that I shot at Hood in July of two D models. The Longbow was 99-5136, one off from the one that went down in Iraq with Young and Williams flying.

I started converting the Revell 1/32 AH-64A into a D model yesterday. its more work than I anticipated getting the avionics sponsons shaped correctly, but its coming along. I’ll post some pics as soon as its together.

just sent pics,

cw3 bob roebuck