McDONNELL DOUGLAS (MDC) is pressing the US State and Defense departments to release the AH-64D Apache for sale to Malaysia to meet the country's pending requirement for an attack helicopter.
The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) has already asked for a technical briefing and information on the helicopter as part of its provisional type-evaluation. The US Army is now understood to be responding to the request.
US Government release of the AH-64D will enable MDC to compete effectively against Denel's CSH-2 Rooivalk, considered a leading contender for the RMAF order. A purchase of some 12-24 helicopters is planned as part of Malaysia's 1996-2000 defence plan (Flight International, 2-8 August).
The earlier AH-64A has already been cleared for sale to neighbouring Singapore, but not Malaysia. This helicopter, however, will no longer be available after 1996, when production switches to the more advanced AH-64D model.
It is considered unlikely that the Lockheed Martin Longbow millimetre-wave (MMW) target-acquisition radar will be made available to Southeast Asian customers for at least another three to four years. "Malaysia has been asked to be patient about the radar," admits one RMAF source.
The proposed Malaysian Apache model would instead be initially equipped for, but not with, the Longbow, as with the AH-64Ds recently ordered by the Netherlands.
The helicopter would be fitted with full digital avionics and be capable of receiving MMW targeting data from other Longbow-equipped machines.
Competition between the AH-64D and South African Rooivalk is set to intensify, with both helicopters due to participate in Malaysia's principal aviation showcase on Langkawi Island in early December.
Source: Flight International