Boeing AH-64 Apache

The Boeing AH-64 Apache is an American twin-engine attack helicopter, originally developed by Hughes Helicopters and later built by McDonnell Douglas and then Boeing after successive corporate acquisitions, entering service with the United States Army in 1986 as the Army's primary dedicated attack helicopter. Built around a nose-mounted sensor and targeting system and armed with a chain gun, guided anti-tank missiles and rocket pods, the Apache was designed for tank-killing and close air support missions and first saw major combat use during the 1991 Gulf War, where it played a prominent role in early strikes against Iraqi air defenses. The type takes its name from the Apache Native American peoples, following a longstanding United States Army convention of naming its helicopters after Native American tribes, and has since been exported to and license-built by several allied air forces.