Monday saw His Majesty King Charles III visited the Army Flying Museum to unveil a plaque to commemorate the new Apache AH Mk.1 exhibit. He spent time meeting serving members of the Army Air Corps, their families, and veterans, along with members of the Museum team.

The helicopter is now on permanent display at the Museum in Middle Wallop, Hampshire where it is the only place in Europe that the public can see this impressive aircraft.

Apache AH Mk.1’s were a familiar sight over the nearby airfield until their retirement in March, after two decades of service. This marked the end of an era for the British Army so the Museum’s new exhibit will ensure its contribution is not forgotten and brings the history of Army aviation up to date.

Lucy Johnson, Chief Executive of the Army Flying Museum who welcomed HM The King said; “His Majesty was delighted to return to the Museum and was interested to learn about the work of the Museum in preserving British Army aviation and telling the story of the past 150 years. He very much enjoyed meeting members of the Museum team who were instrumental in the Apache project and we are delighted that his final duty as Colonel-in-Chief was to unveil a plaque to commemorate this important aircraft.”

After his visit to the Museum HM The King then officially handed over the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps, a role he has held for 32 years, to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales in a ceremony at the Army Aviation Centre.

The Prince of Wales then carried out his first engagement with the Army Air Corps as Colonel-in-Chief; receiving a briefing on the Corps’ current work, watching training exercises and speaking to aircrew, supporting ground staff and soldiers before joining an Apache AH-64E capability flight.

The Apache AH-64E model is still flown by the Army Air Corps with visitors to the Museum able to see the new model regularly flying to and from the adjacent airfield.

Visitors to the Museum will be able to see the display from 15 May and are urged to buy their tickets online, in advance, as demand is expected to be very high, to experience this impressive aircraft up close.  

Tickets to view the Apache AH Mk.1 from the 15 May, can be purchased here: https://armyflying.com/visit/admission/

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About Apache AH Mk.1

  • The Apache AH Mk.1 was built under licence by Westland Helicopters (later AgustaWestland).
  • It is derived from the Boeing AH-64D Apache. 67 Apache AH Mk.1s were ordered for the British Army; the first eight of these were made by Boeing.
  • It came into service with the Army Air Corps in 2001 and was the first purpose-built attack helicopter to be adopted by the British Army.
  • Unlike the AH-64D, the Apache AH Mk.1 was powered by two Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM 322 engines. Each engine is capable of delivering a maximum 2,300 shaft horsepower, giving the aircraft a cruising speed of around 260 kilometres per hour.
  • Unlike the AH-64D, it was also equipped with folding blades, allowing the British version of the aircraft to operate from ships.
  • The Apache AH Mk.1 is fitted with a 30-mm M230 chain gun, located under the nose of the helicopter. This can fire around 625 rounds per minute.
  • The Apache AH Mk.1 can carry up to 76 CRV-7 rockets and up to 16 Hellfire missiles, or a combination of these weapons depending on the mission.
  • The aircraft is fitted with Longbow radar which can find and track targets, monitor airspace, and profile the terrain around the helicopter. Its placement above the main rotors allows the Apache to scan the surrounding area from behind cover, only exposing the radar.
  • The Army Air Corps deployed Apache AH Mk.1s in Afghanistan and during the NATO military intervention in Libya in 2011.
  • The Apache AH Mk.1 was retired from British Army service in 2024. It is being replaced with the Apache AH-64E model.

 

Historical Significance of ZJ224

  • ZJ224 served with 656 Squadron Army Air Corps in Afghanistan. On 15th January 2007, it was one of two Apache helicopters that carried troops on their stub wings into Jugroom Fort, Helmand Province, to rescue a fatally wounded comrade.

 

About the Army Flying Museum

The Army Flying Museum is a registered charity and located at Middle Wallop, close to Andover, in Hampshire. The Museum tells the story of British Army Flying from the early days of military ballooning to the modern Army Air Corps. It also has a key function in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) education with unique and engaging programmes for children during the holidays, as well as school visits during term time.   

The collection was started in 1946 at RAF Andover but later moved to Middle Wallop and first opened to the public in 1974. In 1984, the Museum moved from a location “behind the wire” to a new, purpose-build hangar which is located on the edge of an active airfield. The Museum has since been extended twice more and now comprises two large aircraft halls (the Prince Michael of Kent Hall and the Hayward Hall) a learning centre, a 1940s house display, a play park and conference facilities.

The collection covers the five main branches of Army Aviation: Royal Engineers (1878 – 1912), The Royal Flying Corps (1912 - 1918), Air Observation Post Squadrons (1941 – 1957), the Glider Pilot Regiment (1942 - 1957) and the current Army Air Corps (1957- to date). Over 40 aircraft can be seen in the Museum. These range from a First World War biplane to a HueyCobra attack helicopter plus an example of every Allied glider used operationally during the Second World War.

Highlights of the collection include a Sopwith Pup – an example of a single-seat fighter introduced in 1916 -and a Lynx helicopter which broke the world speed record in 1972 by achieving an average speed of 199.92 miles per hour (321.74 km per hour) in a 100km closed circuit. It was also the first British helicopter ever to complete a barrel roll.