fuel tanks.Hard to kill, the Apache was designed to be cashworthy. Armor made of boron carbide bonded to Kevlar protects the Apache crew and helicopters vital systems, (Francoa, Press, 1999, p.352).Blast shields, which protect against 23mm rounds or smaller high-explosive incendiary ammunition, separate the pilot and copilot weapons system operator; thus, 5both crew members cannot be incapacitated by a single round. Armored seats and airframe armor can withstand .50 caliber rounds. The aircraft is 48 feet long, 12 feet high and can weigh 21,000 pounds maximum at take off. Top speed is 184 miles per hour, range is 300 miles and service ceiling of 21,000 feet.In the weeks and months before the war, the Apaches Bravo Company had developed new tactics that they hoped to use against Iraqi tanks and armored vehicles. The Apache helicopter was a ground-attack aircraft; tanks and fighting vehicles were its principal targets. The tactics developed by Bravo Company pilots were considerably different from the ones practiced in Europe. There the Apache pilots had been trained to fly low, using hills for cover, and popping up to fire. In the desert there were few hills high enough to use to hide behind. To compensate, Bravo Company had devised what they called high-energy and low-energy tactics. In both approaches the pilots line up their six helicopters shoulder to shoulder, in three teams of two. In low-energy tactics, the two helicopters in a team would fly 300-500 meters apart; there would be an 8001000 meter spread between teams. The helicopters flew just 30 feet off the ground, inching forward just fast enough to leave a dust trail from their rotor behind them. It was not foolproof, however, in the relative flatness of the desert terrain, the tactic did not give Apache pilots as much of a chance to pull off a surprise attack as they would hope for. Low-energy tactics were for nighttime, then they would be virtually invisible. The high-energy ...
