2RHPZ
07-08-2004, 12:33 PM
Israel To Buy 6 More Apache Longbows
By BARBARA OPALL-ROME, TEL AVIV
The Israel Air Force will expand its Apache Longbow fleet by an additional six helicopters following a June 21 reprogramming decision by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) General Staff.
In meetings here last week, the General Staff transferred nearly $150 million slated for Navy warship procurement to the Air Force, which will use the funds to convert six of its older Apaches into the AH-64D Longbow configuration. The decision boosts Israel’s planned Longbow fleet to 20 and caps a yearlong internal debate within the IDF and Ministry of Defense about the usefulness of the heavily armed gunships and their survivability on the modern battlefield.
In interviews earlier this year, IDF planners and senior consultants said they were shocked by the Apache Longbow’s performance in last year’s war in Iraq, particularly during a failed March 23, 2003, assault by the U.S. Army’s 11th Attack Aviation Regiment on the Iraqi Republican Guard’s Medina Division. In that operation, one aircraft crashed on takeoff, another was shot down, and the rest “encountered a wall of fire from automatic weapons that shredded 28 of these $20 million aircraft,” retired U.S. Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey noted in the October 2003 issue of Armed Forces Journal.
The poor performance of the Longbows in Iraq, and also in U.S. operations in Kosovo, prompted a thorough reassessment within the IDF of its unique concept of operations associated with the gunships.
“We studied the American experience with the Apache Longbow in recent U.S.-led combat operations, and determined that all of the failings were not relevant to the way we intend to employ this weapon system,” an Israel Air Force brigadier general told DefenseNews.com. information we gleaned led us to the conclusion that the helicopter was not employed properly in Iraq, and was used in ways that were contrary to our doctrine. ... Bottom line, this is a fabulous and formidable weapon system, and we’re delighted to be able to acquire another six to add to our combat capabilities.”
Key among Israeli critics of additional purchases of the Longbow is retired Maj. Gen. Isaac Ben-Israel, former director of defense research and development for the IDF and the MoD.
“The Apache Longbow was a bad investment then and it’s a bad investment now. ... and the more we learn about its use in places like Kosovo and in Iraq, the more I’m convinced that the concept is wrong,” Ben-Israel told DefenseNews.com.
In a 2003 paper, “Military Dimensions of the War in Iraq,” Ben-Israel criticized the gunship’s ability to survive in a high-threat environment.
“Although the verdict regarding the role of attack helicopters in the war against Iraq is still pending, we can cautiously state [once again] they proved to be a disappointment. ... Similar to its performance in Kosovo and the 1991 Gulf War, the helicopter proved capable of dealing only with short-range armored targets,” he wrote.
Ben-Israel noted, however, that the gunship has proven to be a valuable tool in targeted killings of suspected terrorists and has been used to great effect in urban anti-terror operations, where the aircraft are not threatened by anti-aircraft missiles.
Israel Air Force Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, commandant of the IDF Command and Staff College, said on June 28 he welcomed the additional Longbows.
“I supported this acquisition decision, since the Apache Longbow conforms perfectly with the way we intend to employ air power in future,” said Yadlin, a member of the IDF general staff.
“This tool is flexible, it provides a quick response, and it has superior targeting capabilities and firepower that has proven and will continue to prove useful in a variety of combat operations.”
By BARBARA OPALL-ROME, TEL AVIV
The Israel Air Force will expand its Apache Longbow fleet by an additional six helicopters following a June 21 reprogramming decision by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) General Staff.
In meetings here last week, the General Staff transferred nearly $150 million slated for Navy warship procurement to the Air Force, which will use the funds to convert six of its older Apaches into the AH-64D Longbow configuration. The decision boosts Israel’s planned Longbow fleet to 20 and caps a yearlong internal debate within the IDF and Ministry of Defense about the usefulness of the heavily armed gunships and their survivability on the modern battlefield.
In interviews earlier this year, IDF planners and senior consultants said they were shocked by the Apache Longbow’s performance in last year’s war in Iraq, particularly during a failed March 23, 2003, assault by the U.S. Army’s 11th Attack Aviation Regiment on the Iraqi Republican Guard’s Medina Division. In that operation, one aircraft crashed on takeoff, another was shot down, and the rest “encountered a wall of fire from automatic weapons that shredded 28 of these $20 million aircraft,” retired U.S. Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey noted in the October 2003 issue of Armed Forces Journal.
The poor performance of the Longbows in Iraq, and also in U.S. operations in Kosovo, prompted a thorough reassessment within the IDF of its unique concept of operations associated with the gunships.
“We studied the American experience with the Apache Longbow in recent U.S.-led combat operations, and determined that all of the failings were not relevant to the way we intend to employ this weapon system,” an Israel Air Force brigadier general told DefenseNews.com. information we gleaned led us to the conclusion that the helicopter was not employed properly in Iraq, and was used in ways that were contrary to our doctrine. ... Bottom line, this is a fabulous and formidable weapon system, and we’re delighted to be able to acquire another six to add to our combat capabilities.”
Key among Israeli critics of additional purchases of the Longbow is retired Maj. Gen. Isaac Ben-Israel, former director of defense research and development for the IDF and the MoD.
“The Apache Longbow was a bad investment then and it’s a bad investment now. ... and the more we learn about its use in places like Kosovo and in Iraq, the more I’m convinced that the concept is wrong,” Ben-Israel told DefenseNews.com.
In a 2003 paper, “Military Dimensions of the War in Iraq,” Ben-Israel criticized the gunship’s ability to survive in a high-threat environment.
“Although the verdict regarding the role of attack helicopters in the war against Iraq is still pending, we can cautiously state [once again] they proved to be a disappointment. ... Similar to its performance in Kosovo and the 1991 Gulf War, the helicopter proved capable of dealing only with short-range armored targets,” he wrote.
Ben-Israel noted, however, that the gunship has proven to be a valuable tool in targeted killings of suspected terrorists and has been used to great effect in urban anti-terror operations, where the aircraft are not threatened by anti-aircraft missiles.
Israel Air Force Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, commandant of the IDF Command and Staff College, said on June 28 he welcomed the additional Longbows.
“I supported this acquisition decision, since the Apache Longbow conforms perfectly with the way we intend to employ air power in future,” said Yadlin, a member of the IDF general staff.
“This tool is flexible, it provides a quick response, and it has superior targeting capabilities and firepower that has proven and will continue to prove useful in a variety of combat operations.”