The U.S. Army has completed the final deployment of older Kiowa Warriors that will be replaced by the AH-64D Apaches, Army Times reported Sunday.
Luke Carberry Mogan writes members of 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade have arrived in South Korea for the final service of the OH-58D units and will return to Fort Bragg in nine months.
“Although it is sad to see the aircraft be retired, it is also exciting to see the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade modernize to meet the realities of an evolving mission,†said Capt. Adan Cazarez, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade public affairs officer.
The National Guard will redistribute its Apache units to the army in exchange for UH-60 Black Hawks, as part of the Army’s Aviation Restructuring Initiative that works to retire legacy systems, the report said.
The report noted Apache units features 16 laser-guided Hellfires, 76 Stingers and a front-mounted 30mm chain gun and reaches top speeds of up to 170mph.
Army Times added Apaches can be integrated with unmanned aerial vehicles such as the RQ-7 Shadow UAV for surveillance and other military operations.
