The Israeli air force has taken delivery of its first Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow "Saraf" attack helicopters, writes Arie Egozi.
The air force is purchasing 18 new and rebuilt AH-64Ds.They will be operated from the Ramon air base in southern Israel. The aircraft are equipped with several Israeli-sourced systems, including an Elisra electronic warfare suite. Details of the system are classified, but it is based on the company's PAWS passive missile warning system and SPS-65 radar and laser warning system.
PAWS detects a missile's exhaust plume radiation and tracks it, even in highly cluttered and dynamic environments, by using a very sensitive infrared sensor and parallel processing. The SPS-65 is a sensitive receiver capable of detecting laser threats, with a built-in direction finding capability, and can be interfaced with jammers.
Source: Flight International
