The suspect in this report: A Strap Pack Nut
Safety inspections by the Army determined it was “not happy” with the performance of the nuts in severe, coastal environments and saw corrosion due to climate and stress, according to a source quoted in a number of articles.
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www.businessinsider.com/a-small-part-is-causing-big-problems-for-a...
2 days ago
The Army stopped accepting deliveries of the AH-64E Apache variant from Boeing earlier this year due to ...
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As part of Army safety inspections of the fleet, the service determined it was “not happy” with the performance of the nuts in severe, coastal environments and saw corrosion due to climate and stress, according to Todd.
The nut in question holds very large bolts that subsequently hold the rotor blades on the helicopter and is therefore determined to be a critical safety item, Todd explained
the Army decided to not take delivery of AH-64 Echo models in February,
It took Boeing and the Army some time to get at exactly what was the root cause of the corrosion and aggressive wear and tear on the nut. But a cause has been identified and the Army has approved a redesign, and Boeing will provide new nuts after testing of the new design beginning in the summer, Todd said.
The company has been working at a “very thorough but expeditious pace over the last six months,” he said. “We are in testing as we speak.”
The Army has estimates that Boeing will be able to field two Apache battalions per month, starting sometime this summer, with the new parts, Todd said. “And we expect them to keep that pace until complete through the entire fleet as well as [Foreign Military Sales] customers that purchase through the U.S. Army,” he added.
Countries that have bought or ordered AH-64Es are India, Indonesia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Taiwan.
In fact, Todd said, the Army would push Boeing to do better than two battalions in a month, “so there is every chance that we could accelerate.”
Boeing, in a statement provided to Defense News, said:
“Our highest priority is the safety of the warfighter and the reliability of our products. We’re continuing to partner with the Army to address issues, deploying Boeing experts to assist the Army in the field with inspections, and return to the delivery schedule. . .
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“Our highest priority is the safety of the warfighter and the reliability of our products. We’re continuing to partner with the Army to address issues, deploying Boeing experts to assist the Army in the field with inspections, and return to the delivery schedule. . .
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There are 653 AH-64Es currently fielded. “We are stable there because ultimately we stopped inductions as well because we did not want to hurt the fleet,” Todd said.
Boeing builds an average of six AH-64Es per month in its Mesa, Arizona, facility.
> When the Army first fielded the Echo model, it was forced to ground the entire fleet within a month of declaring operational capability following an incident at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, in December 2013, related to a transmission issue. The service and Boeing resolved the issue in roughly a month.
> There have been eight AH-64E mishaps since the Army began fielding the variant in 2013, with five of those considered major accidents involving millions of dollars in damage and/or causing fatalities or major injuries.
A crash in 2016 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, resulted in the loss of both crew members. And earlier this month, also at Fort Campbell, an Apache crashed, killing both soldiers.
(See more news reports below)
A crash in 2016 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, resulted in the loss of both crew members. And earlier this month, also at Fort Campbell, an Apache crashed, killing both soldiers.
(See more news reports below)
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Link > Defense News 19 April 2018
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RELATED CONTENT:
Fort Campbell, KY – At approximately 9:50pm Friday, April 6th, 2018 two Soldiers of the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) were killed in an AH-64E Apache helicopter crash in the local training area on Fort Campbell
The names of the deceased will not be released until 24 hours after next-of-kin notification is complete.
The crew was conducting routine training at the time of the accident. There were no other casualties. Fort Campbell Fire and Emergency Services are on site and recovery operations are ongoing.
An Apache helicopter similar to the one in this photo crashed during routine training at Fort Campbell.
Read entire report here
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Qatar to receive AH-64E APKWS rockets
Shephard Media-Apr 14, 2018
In a deal approved by the US State Department, Qatar is set to weaponise its Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters with Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems (APKWS) II guided rockets. The proposed sale, valued at $300 million, includes 5,000 of the BAE Systems manufactured APKWS rockets, ...
Task & Purpose-Apr 20, 2018
The Army in February ceased accepting deliveries of the AH-64E Apache variant from Boeing due to concerns over a “critical safety” issue, Defense News first reported on April 19 — namely, a lack of confidence in the main rotor retaining nut (like the “Jesus nut” on the UH-1 Iroquois, as in “Jesus keep me safe from ...
Aviation Week-Apr 20, 2018
The U.S. Army may be forced to ground some Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters due to concerns about the durability of a critical ... THIS CONTENT REQUIRES SUBSCRIPTION ACCESS. You must have an Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN) account or subscribe to this Market Briefing to access "U.S. Army ...
Shephard Media-Apr 20, 2018
Salt water corrosion issues have forced the US Army to stop accepting deliveries of Boeing's AH-64E Apache attack helicopter. During a 20 April press conference, army secretary Mark Esper confirmed that the service has stopped accepting deliveries of the AH-64E Apache due to strap pack nut assembly — a .
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