Belly of the Beast - a photo on Flickriver

Belly of the Beast

An AH-64D Apache Longbow gunship from Fort Knox's 8th Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment surveys the crowd at the 2009 Cleveland National Air Show.

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Operational History (Wikipedia)

Army units began converting to the Apache in 1986 and first deployed to Europe in 1987. They took part in large military exercises there after arriving.[41] The helicopter was first used in combat in 1989, during Operation Just Cause, the invasion of Panama. The AH-64 participated in over 240 hours of combat attacking various targets mostly at night.[42][43]

During Operation Desert Storm on 17 January 1991, eight AH-64As guided by four MH-53 Pave Low IIIs, were used to destroy a portion of the Iraqi radar network.[44] This was the first attack of Desert Storm and it allowed attack aircraft into Iraq without detection.[45] The Apaches carried an asymmetric load of Hydra 70 flechette rockets, Hellfires, and one auxiliary fuel tank each.[46] During the 100-hour ground war a total of 277 AH-64s took part, destroying over 500 tanks, numerous armored personnel carriers and other Iraqi vehicles during Operation Desert Storm.[44][47]

The AH-64 played roles in the Balkans during separate conflicts in Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s.[48][49] During these deployments the Apache encountered problems such as deficiencies in training, night vision equipment, fuel tanks, and survivability.[50][51] On 27 April 1999 an Apache crashed during training in Albania due to a failure with the tail rotor,[52] causing the entire fleet in the Balkans to be grounded in December 2000.[53] Major General Dick Cody, commanding officer of the 101st Airborne at the time, wrote a strongly worded memo to the US Army Chief of Staff about the failures in training and equipment.[54]
AH-64D over Taji, Iraq 2006

The AH-64 took part in invasion of Iraq in 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom.[55] In one engagement on 24 March 2003, 31 Apaches were damaged, and one Apache crashed and was captured by Iraqi troops near Karbala.[56] The intended attack against an armored brigade of the Iraqi Republican Guard's Medina Division was unsuccessful; US officials claimed this was due to the tank crews having set up a "flak trap" amongst terrain and employing their guns to good effect.[57][58] Iraqi officials claimed a farmer with a Brno rifle shot down the Apache,[59] however the farmer denied involvement.[60] The helicopter came down intact, and both the pilot and co-pilot were captured.[57] The AH-64 was destroyed via air strike the following day.[61][62]

The U.S. Apaches have been serving in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan from 2001.[63] American AH-64Ds are flying in Iraq and Afghanistan without the Longbow Fire Control Radar as there are no armored threats to be dealt with.[64] The majority of Apache helicopters that have taken heavy combat damage have been able to continue their assigned missions and return safely.[58] In 2006, an Apache helicopter was downed by a Soviet-made Strela 2 (SA-7) in Iraq. The Apache is able to typically withstand such hits, however in this instance it did not.[65] As of 2009, 12 Apache helicopters were shot down by enemy fire during the Iraq War.

Source: Wikipedia

2009 Cleveland National Air Show -- September 6th, 2009

Taken in: United States / Ohio / Burke Lakefront Airport (show map)

Taken on: September 6, 2009

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Sets appears in: • 2009 Cleveland National Air Show • Will it Blend?

Groups appears in: • Indiana Photographers • Helicopters more » • Military Aircraft « less

Camera: Canon EOS 50D, f/13.0, 1/125 sec, 255mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 50D
Lens:	EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM +2.0x
Aperture:	f/13.0
Exposure Time:	0.008 sec (1/125)
Focal Length:	255mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Shutter speed priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Partial
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS4 Windows
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